Rich Tomato Pasta Sauce Recipe: for the freezer
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This spring, my friend Jack told me that he was planning to grow his tomatoes in large pots; some inside his greenhouse and some just outside. The pots would stand on giant trays of gravel to increase humidity. I must admit I was secretly a bit dubious about his method. We’ve not had much success with tomatoes raised in our greenhouse, apart from seedlings. As our 14 outdoor plants flourished during the July heat wave, I wondered what was happening on the tomato front chez Jack.
The cold wet August was clearly a bit of a shock to our tomato plants. By the end of the month they were tatty, spidery and had all but given up. Blight had destroyed a lot of the fruit. They hardly seemed worth watering. But there was hope – I had potted a tomato seedling in the greenhouse and I noticed that it had begun to flourish. Perhaps Jack had been right after all.
I’ve been working at Jack’s house this week while he is away in France. On Monday, I drove in and nipped straight down to his smart, squeaky clean hardwood greenhouse. Tall healthy plants covered with perfect trusses stood smugly, lining the path to the greenhouse. I peered through their branches into the greenhouse. It was dense with thick stemmed, perfectly manicured tomato plants, loaded with healthy fruit. I was, I hate to admit, absolutely gutted.
Next year I’m going to try Jack’s method. When Jack returns from holiday he’ll definitely need the recipe below. The sauce tastes very intense when fresh but don’t panic. It is perfect for freezing as tomato based sauces tend to go a bit watery if frozen and can be very disappointing. This is why we created this recipe. Normally we make gallons of it in the autumn and freeze it in two-portion packs. During the winter we take it out as a base sauce for pasta dishes when we don’t feel like cooking but want an easy, tasty meal. Generally we toss in a handful of other ingredients to suit our mood (see tricks and tips below the recipe for a couple of our favourite combinations). This sauce also can be quickly heated up from frozen if friends drop round unexpectedly. It is never watery.
Our recipe for rich tomato sauce (suitable for home freezing)
Ingredients:
- 1 Kilo of ripe tomatoes (quartered or halved if they are a small variety)
- 3 medium onions (Peel and chop into one centimetre chunks.)
- 2 large cloves of garlic (chopped fine-ish)
- 650g of passata
- 4 heels of parmesan (4 x 1×2 centimetre blocks of old parmesan will do). This is our magic ingredient. Freeze with the sauce. This is the section closest to the rind that nornally gets tossed away.
- Good splosh of red wine (at least ½ cup. Medium white wine will do)
- 1 mild red medium chilly (chopped fine and seeds removed)
- 1 tsp of balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 tablespoons of good olive oil
- A handful of chopped fresh herbs (don’t over do this. 1 woman’s handful and half a man’s). We suggest a combination of basil, marjoram and oregano. If you only have dried herbs use 1 teaspoonful for starters and then leave for flavour to develop for five minutes before tasting. Only top up in half teaspoon increments as dried herbs can be really strong.
- Plastic containers for freezing, with (ideally) lids.
- Freezer bags.
Method:
- Pour olive oil into a large heavy bottomed saucepan and heat over a low heat
- Add chopped onions, stir to make sure that onions are coated with the oil and then leave to simmer very slowly until translucent. Stir every now and then to stop the onions burning.
- Toss in garlic and turn through the onions. Leave for 2 minutes or so.
- Add the chopped fresh tomatoes. Stir through to coat with oil and leave for five minutes over a low/medium heat. Stir from time to time.
- Pour in passatta. Stir well through the onions and tomatoes. Turn up the heat to medium.
- When the mixture is simmering add the chopped herbs, balsamic, and stir. Leave the sauce to simmer over a low heat until the tomatoes fall apart.
- Add a good slosh of wine or water to thin the sauce a little. Simmer for five minutes and then simmer very gently for about an hour until the sauce has reduced and thickened. Keep an eye on it and stir from time to time. If it starts to boil turn it down to a slow simmer. Add more wine or water if necessary. After an hour, taste (the sauce should taste intense and concentrated) and add salt and pepper to taste before removing from the heat.
- Allow to cool gradually in the saucepan (lid on). Using a ladle, spoon two full ladles into each freezer container If you don’t have lids, put each container into a freezer bag and seal (you can use these bag to store your tomato sauce). Freeze for 12 hours and put frozen blocks into a labeled, dated freezer bags. Return to freezer to use through the winter.
Tips and Tricks:
Favourite combinations with the rich pasta sauce:
- Heat the unfrozen sauce using a ring on the top of the cooker (approx. 8 minutes, low heat). When the sauce is simmering throw in three handfuls of fresh spinach leaves, some roasted pine kernels (roast under the grill, medium temperature) and a small handful of chopped gruyere. Stir and leave for 3 mins before pouring over hot, cooked pasta. Always add a decent sprinkling of grated parmesan cheese on each portion.
- Heat the unfrozen sauce using a ring on the top of the cooker (approx. 8 minutes, low heat). When the sauce is simmering throw in a handful of stoned and chopped black olives and a handful of grilled smoked bacon pieces. Allow to simmer for 5 mins before pouring over hot, freshly drained pasta. Don’t forget to sprinkle a decent handful of grated parmesan cheese on each portion. (You can find bags of uncooked smoked/unsmoked bacon pieces at the supermarket and occasionally at a good butcher’s shop. We freeze these packs into small portions to use with this dish and in a variety of other recipes).
- IF USING FROZEN TOMATO SAUCE. Heat the sauce very gently, in a saucepan on a ring on top of the oven. Stir every now and then until the tomato sauce is completely unfrozen. You can add to this sauce or just pour over freshly cooked pasta.
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Thank you for your comments. And a bit of silly bath time fun with the Frothing Sea Monster trick!
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What can I do to ease up the acidity taste in spaghetti sauce?
Hi Lidia,
I hate the metalic taste too. Our suace does not have that taste.
if u add a small amount of sugar, that should neutralise the acidic taste.
Hi Charlotte,
Thanks for the tip!
no problem, hope it helps you!
Hi Charlotte,
Yes, this tip will help. Can’t wait to test it out when I make a tomato sauce this week.
We have just made this now and it smells delicious. As we live in Italy, we will be using it as a pasta topping – can’t wait to try the olive recipe – it sounds great!
I live in United Kingdom. What is “passata”.
Thanks
Hey, cheers for this recipe – once i completely embarrassed myself by offering to make lunch for friends to take to work, and made pasta in tomato and basil sauce the night before. Because I didnt know about the parmesan tip it was really watery and not very nice at all! Now I can finally try again after months of avoiding chopped tomatoes! Cheers!
Hi Asaf. Passata is pureed tomatoes which you can but in jars or little boxes in Asda or Tesco. This recipe is fantastic, well worth making as much as your saucepan will hold while tomatoes are cheap & ripe in the summer. I have a freezer full. I leave out the chilli from the original recipe & use the sauce for spag bol or with chicken, then add a chilli if I want it spicy
Sorry that should read buy in jars
this recipe has too many ingrediants in it and is a watse of time!!!
Hello Lauren
How many ingredients would you suggest?
Hello Lauren – have you tried the recipe? It’s absolutely delicious & if you cook it in bulk once the prep is done it cooks all by itself. Don’t knock it till you try it!
This recipe sounds delicious. Lauren – since you are so negative, you can always buy and eat the bottled/canned stuff!
So what exactly do I do with the parmasen cheese????
Hi Michelle
You cook the sauce with the heels of parmesan in it. Remove before serving.
Thanks.
At what point do I put them in and if I am freezing some do I leave it in whilst its frozen?
Hi Michelle add it when you add the tomatoes. I freeze the sauce with the parmesan in it.
Thank you!
this sounds very tasty and as my toms; are now turning in i’m going to have a go at makeing this but could some one clarify to me what is a (heel of pamesan) thanks.
Hi Rob
This is the section closest to the rind that nornally gets tossed away as it’s generally too hard to grate.
I’ve updated the post!
Just made the sauce it tastes delicious but forgot the parmesan! I would like to freeze the sauce. Do you have a miracle cure? could I still add the parmesan before freezing.
Hi Yvonne
Yes of course you can add the parmesan before freezing. Even when it’s frozen it will exude it’s taste (bizarre but we have discovered this fact).
Just wanted to say thanks for this recipe, I’ve had a big glut of tomatoes this year and its a great way to preserve them, the only problem its so nice it all got eaten in one week even though I froze it ! Its great to have in the freezer if you have hungry teenagers to feed – making more today….
Hi Lucie
I’d forgotten all about this recipe – we are just starting a glut so I’m going to make some too.
Is it possible to put this into jars and store it that way?
Hi Frances
Yes you could but you’d need to process the bottles in a pressure canner. Hot water bottling wouldn’t get rid of the bugs.
Just discovered your website and will definitely be book marking it!
I have only started growing my own veg this summer and whilst not doing much feel it has been a success – lots of cherry tomotoes which I just eat as they are and chillis and tomotoes. Discovered you when looking for a recipe to make a pasta sauce.
Just spent an enjoyable evening listening to the abba tribute concert on R2 and making this sauce. Haven’t tasted it properly yet as had already eaten, but it smells delicious. Can’t wait to try it!
Hi there. This sounds delicious but I don’t eat cheese. Does it work without the parmesan or is there a substitute ingrediant? Thanks
Absolutely loved this recipe.Many thanks for that. I have bought a new batch of ripe tomatoes and wonder if it could be made in the slow cooker. Any advice would be very much appreciated
Hi KTB
It’s a good sauce and the freezing doesn’t make it go watery. Thanks for the nudge – I must make some myself.
Hi Elisabeth
Yes it works without the cheese just loses a bit of depth. To counteract this add a tablespoonful of Mushroom Ketchup and a teaspoonful of lemon juice.
Hello Catherine
I don’t see why not. I didn’t have a slow cooker when I wrote this. You probably would need to leave the lid half on half off for evaporation to take place. In fact I’m going to adapt this for the slow cooker within the next week or so. Thanks for the prompt.
Looks great and I will be making it today.
When making sauces I always remove the tomatoe skins, but I see no reference to this. I shall remove the skins to be on the safe side, nothing worst than a hard slimey skin floating around.. unless someone can convince me this recipe works with them on and you don’t notice them.
Finished making this, made a few changes and I also doubled the recipe.
*I peeled my tomatoes by plunging in boiling water until skins cracked or came away easily.
*I also removed all seeds, so I used a total of 4 kilo of home grown tomatoes to get 2 kilos. I used a mix of shirley, alicante, cedrico, and plum with a few cherry tomatoes.
*I didn’t use any garlic, hate the stuff. Really don’t mind it in things as long as I can’t taste it.
*I added 1 teaspoon of suger.
*I reduced mine by half, I also blended mine after I finished until I had a rough cut thick sauce.
*I used fresh basil and dried marjoram and oregano, 1 small hand full of ripped basil and 1 teaspoon of each dried. Carefull as I doubled this recipe up and felt that was plenty as you can always mix in some fresh when using it.
*When cooking the mass of onions (you do need them all, and a big pan I added some salt to stop them colouring.
I got a really good thick consistant sauce that will be perfect for pizza or pasta. I intend to freeze. 1 medium sweet chilli (still hot when bitten raw, gave it a nice bite).
Hi Liam
Thanks for the expert twists. Can’t wait to try your version but I will add garlic – love the stuff
Thanks for this recipe (3rd on a Google search for “fresh tomato sauce freeze”). We’re just about to add the “slosh” of red wine (strange, I can’t find a ml equivalent for “slosh”
) and we’ll be freezing it later. It smells lovely now!
Thanks again.
G
Hi Gerald
Thanks for dropping by – I’d forgotten all about this recipe! Must make some myself for use over the winter