Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce

I like to keep little pots of this sauce in the freezer as it can form the basis of a meal in no time at all - from pasta dishes, to pizza, to leftover chicken with rice... there's loads of possibilities.

I made some today using fresh basil I picked up in the supermarket last night.  I love fresh herbs but as they are quite expensive, I don't buy them very often.  This bag had been reduced to 16p so I bought it with this sauce in mind!  Half of the bag went in today's sauce and the remaining leaves went into the freezer for another time.  

There's probably loads of fantastic recipes out there for tomato sauce - I tend to vary mine and throw together whatever I have.  I'm not usually too fussy with measurements either!  On this occasion I softened two onions in a little oil along with some garlic and some green chilli (both of these were in my freezer).  I added half a pack of passata (also from the freezer), a tin of tomatoes, a jarred red pepper and some tomato puree.  I popped in some sliced carrots, a teaspoon of caster sugar, a splash of balsamic vinegar, paprika, seasoning and some dried oregano for good measure.  I brought everything to the boil and simmered for ten minutes or so then left to cool.

After adding the fresh basil, I blitzed the lot using my stick blender (to save on washing up!) then split the sauce into little tubs to go in the freezer.  I left the sauce quite thick; it can be thinned out once I know what it's going to be, for example leaving it thicker works better with pizza.  Smaller, individual portions for pasta for lunch - on it's own, with a little cheese, with some leftover ham/chicken/tuna or whatever - and larger portions for the family, either with pasta, rice or as a homemade pizza topping.

I'll use whatever I have, and sometimes I add in mushrooms and fresh peppers if I have them - but as I'm trying to use up just what I have for now, this is all I had!  And it tasted quite good!

Best Wishes

Debbie