Pizzas and pastas are as much a staple in our diets as anything Indian at this point. I grew up with birthday candles on pizzas instead of cake so it’s definitely a favourite of mine! However, if there’s one thing that can make or break a pizza or a pasta, it’s the sauce. Sure you can buy bottled sauces, but like most things, it’s definitely better homemade. This blend of tomato, roasted red peppers and spices is a fun, healthy and delicious sauce that you can use in a million different ways.
Roasting the red peppers is an extra little step that lends a nice smoky flavour to the sauce. The carrots are a low carb addition that helps to thicken the sauce. The tomato paste is crucial since it adds that burst of tomato flavour every good pasta sauce must have. You can increase or decrease the number of chillies based on your preference. I’ve purposely left out cream, cheese and any extra spices so that the sauce keeps well and fits a lot of dishes. One of my favourite pasta dishes is a simple spaghetti with this sauce. Fry some onions and garlic, add the sauce, olives and pasta and dust (more like cover!) with parmesan. Perfection!
Pasta Sauce in the Soup Maker
*Part of my work with Wonderchef involves testing their products and developing recipes for their online blog. While I receive the products free of cost, I am not obligated to review them in a positive light on my website. All opinions expressed are my own.
I’ve been making pasta sauce at home for a long time and I’d like to think I’m pretty good at it too! Have I ever been able to make it in 21 minutes though? Not until I got my hands on the Wonderchef Automatic Soup Maker! The soup maker has delivered hit after hit ever since I got it. There’s no doubt that it’s absolutely wonderful for soups. It retains all nutrients of your ingredients, making your soups that much healthier. I would also be remiss if I didn’t mention how easy the appliance is to clean. The blades are connected to the lid while the soup maker body has a wide opening. This is what makes it infinitely easier to clean as compared to a blender.
All soup makers have a minimum and maximum level marked on them. The Wonderchef Soup maker has a minimum level of 1300ml and a maximum of 1600ml. While this is perfect for a family of four, it’s also great if you like to meal prep. Soups keep well in the fridge for about 3-4 days so you can always prepare a batch at the start of the week for a few days of healthy dinners! I was surprised when I saw how the sauce came out, the consistency was perfect and the 21 minute cook time gave the dried oregano enough time to bloom and flavour the sauce.
This sauce keeps well for about a week in the fridge but can be refrigerated for about 3 months as well.
What can you make with Pasta Sauce?
It’s always great to have pasta and pizza sauce on hand so you can enjoy a whole week of delicious meals. This recipe makes about 5 cups of sauce and it keeps well for about 5-7 days in the fridge and about 3 months in the freezer. As for what you can make with this, here are a couple of ideas!
- Any type of pasta – think spaghetti, lasagna, cannelloni, etc.
- Not just pizzas, but calzones and flatbread as well
- Puff pastry, this sauce and your favourite toppings
- Slather some on your burgers as a delicious sauce
- Use it to make chicken parmigiana (or eggplant parmigiana for vegetarians)
- Spice it up for a quick enchilada sauce
- Top some toast with the sauce and add your morning eggs to it to style up your breakfast!
That’s a whole week of meals right there! No matter your choice, they’ll all be winners because the sauce is fantastic!
Soup Maker Pasta and Pizza Sauce
Equipment
- Soup Maker
Ingredients
- 2 Large Onions
- 2 Large Red Peppers
- 2 Medium Carrots
- 6 Large Tomatoes
- 10 Large Garlic Cloves
- ½ Tbsp Olive Oil
- 3 Tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1½ Cups Vegetable Stock
- ¼ Cup Basil (packed)
- 4 Large Dried Red Chillies
- 1½ Tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- ½ – 1 Tsp Salt (as needed)
Instructions
- Begin by roasting the red peppers. Place a grill over a high flame and roast the peppers until they’re evenly charred on the outside. About 6-8 minutes.
- Once the peppers are cool enough to handle remove most, but not all of the charred skin and roughly chop the bell peppers. Set aside.
- Chop the carrots into 1/4 inch slices and set aside.
- Roughly chop the onions, garlic and tomatoes.
- Place a pan on high heat and add the olive oil to it.
- Once heated, add the onions and garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes. Set aside once cooked.
- Add all the vegetables to the soup maker along with the tomato paste, stock, basil, red chillies, oregano, sugar and salt to the soup maker.
- Mix all the ingredients well before you turn the soup maker on.
- Select the smooth mode and sit back and relax as the soup maker does its thing!
- Once the cycle is done, remove the lid and check and adjust the seasoning if required.
- Use the sauce in your favourite pizza or pasta recipe!
