A basic tasty tomato sauce is the basis of so many meals. If you can master this very simple recipe then you can do variations on it - make it richer or fresher as you like. You can add in herbs and spices, for example if you want it to taste Mexican add cumin and paprika, if you’re after an Italian flavour add oregano or basil etc etc.

This recipe is inspired by the excellent Ballymaloe cookbook.

Use the recipes for garlic and onion oil presented elsewhere on this site.

25 g butter
1 tablespoon of onion oil
1 tablespoon garlic oil
2 x 440 g cans of chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon of sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Melt the butter in a flat-bottomed saucepan.
  • Add the onion and garlic oils.
  • Add in the tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper.
  • Cook for 15 - 20 minutes for a fresh light sauce, leave for longer to achieve a deeper richer flavour.