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The Batch Lady’s 5-A-Day Pasta Sauce

Batch cook this easy pasta sauce and stock up the freezer for a quick and tasty weeknight meal.

From the book

Suzanne Mulholland

Introduction

A perfect pasta sauce, full of flavour and full of veggies.

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Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup (115g) frozen diced onions
2 large carrots, peeled and finely diced
2 celery sticks, finely diced
1 courgette, finely diced
1 tsp garlic purée
2 x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
½ cup (120ml) vegetable stock
large handful fresh basil
salt and pepper

Method

IF MAKING AHEAD FOR THE FRIDGE OR FREEZER

Add the oil to a large saucepan set over a medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrots, celery and courgette and cook for 5 minutes.

Stir through the garlic purée, tins of chopped tomatoes and vegetable stock.

Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20–25 minutes until the veggies
are soft.

Add to a blender along with the basil leaves and blend until smooth. Season to taste.

Leave to cool, then add to a labelled freezer bag, seal and freeze flat.

HOB: Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost, then pour into a saucepan and heat through until piping hot.

MICROWAVE: Remove from the freezer and leave to fully defrost. Pour into a microwave safe container and reheat for 2–3 minutes until piping hot

If cooking now

Follow the method for ‘if making ahead’ until the end of step 4.

TIP: To make a gnocchi bake, stir a packet of gnocchi into the sauce, pour into an ovenproof
dish and tear over 2 balls of mozzarella. Cook at 180°C/160°C fan for 30 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Reviews

3 out of 5 stars

1 Ratings

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1 Comment

    default user avatar Rosie Evison

    It was ok, I tend to use tinned plum tomatoes as the juice is thicker than chopped tin tomatoes and therefore the sauce is better.

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