3 Classic Pasta Sauces
Make these classic, foolproof recipes exactly as is, or use them as springboards for your own creativity – i.e. swapping different herbs, or using capers in place of olives. All these recipes make enough sauce for four portions of pasta.
Zesty Sage Butter Sauce
Since this sauce comes together quickly, it’s ideal for making as your pasta cooks, and then adding cooked pasta directly to the butter to mix and serve.
Ingredients
150g butter2 cloves of garlic, sliced
6-8 fresh sage leaves
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Parmesan, for topping pasta
Method
- Heat butter in a frying pan or saute pan. Add sliced garlic and the sage leaves and cook it until the smell becomes more intense. Add the lemon zest, juice, and cooked pasta. Stir. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve topped with Parmesan.
Puttanesca
This tomato sauce is packed with flavour from the addition of anchovies, chilli and olives, making it wonderful for ravioli with simple cheese fillings.
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil1 red onion, finely diced
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1-2 anchovy fillets
1 red chilli, diced
300g tinned tomatoes
200g black olives
1 tbsp tomato paste
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 bunch of basil, leaves only, chopped
Parmesan, for topping pasta
Method
- In a large saucepan, gently heat the oil. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the garlic, anchovies and diced chilli and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste; give it a good stir. If the sauce seems too thick, add some water. Turn down the heat and cook for further 30-40 minutes on medium-low heat, with the lid off.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the basil leaves at the very end and stir. Mix with pasta and serve topped with Parmesan.
Nona’s Tomato Sauce
A humble, classic tomato sauce, which we encourage you to experiment with.
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 celery, finely diced
1/2 carrot, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
800g tinned tomato
1 tbsp tomato paste
Fresh, woody herbs (thyme or rosemary), optional
1 tsp sugar
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Basil, optional
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 celery, finely diced
1/2 carrot, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
800g tinned tomato
1 tbsp tomato paste
Fresh, woody herbs (thyme or rosemary), optional
1 tsp sugar
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
Basil, optional
Method
- In a large saucepan, gently heat the oil. Add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add the celery and carrot, cook for about 7-8 minutes. Then add the garlic, mix, and finally, add the tomatoes and paste. If you’d like to infuse the sauce with woody herbs like thyme or rosemary, now is the best time to add it – tie a bunch together with kitchen twine to make a bouquet garni that you can easily remove once the sauce is done cooking. Cook on medium heat for up to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the sauce seems too thick, add some water.
- Turn down the heat and cook for 1-2 hours on low heat, until the consistency is smooth and taste is to your liking. Season with sugar, salt and pepper. Add some fresh basil at the very end if you wish.
