Tomato Pasta Sauce

This is an excellent one to know when you want a comforting dinner and it uses mostly cupboard staples. Tomatoes and basil is pretty easy for most people to get hold of and veg stock, white wine and sun-dried tomato paste make for a more intense flavour. This sauce is plant-based but can be adapted adding in any mozzarella, burrata or Parmesan or asparagus would also be a good addition.

Vegan

Serves 1

Ingredients: 

2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for serving

1/2 red onion, diced

Handful fresh basil, finely chop the stalks

1 tsp dried oregano

2 small garlic cloves, diced

130g cherry tomatoes, halved

2.5 tbsp sun-dried tomato paste / or a few sun-dried-tomatoes chopped

Half a glass of white or red wine

1/4 of a vegetable stock cube

Salt and pepper

150g brown rice pasta (or the pasta of your choice)

Set the water for the pasta to boil. Cook to the packets instructions.

Prep your ingredients. 

Set a large frying pan to a medium to high heat and add the olive oil.

When hot, add the diced onion and fry to soften for 3 minutes. Then add the dried oregano, chopped basil stalks and fry for another minute.

Halve the cherry tomatoes and add to the pan. Give everything a mix before adding the diced garlic to the pan.

Crumble in the quarter vegetable stock cube. Spoon in the sun-dried tomato paste and pour over the wine.

Allow everything to simmer, mix together and reduce for a minute.

Roughly tear or chop the basil leaves and add to the pan. Stir for a moment before removing from the heat. Taste to check the seasoning adding in salt and pepper. You can add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are lacking in flavour. 

Toss in the cooked pasta and serve with some extra basil leaves and a last drizzle of olive oil.