6 STEPS TO THE PERFECT HOME-MADE TOMATO SAUCE

With the cold fronts we're experiencing in Sydney, we've been craving nothing more than hearty warm dishes. Casseroles, soups, and of course the well loved spaghetti. Nothing warms us up like a hot bowl of spaghetti. 

 We've been making our own home-made tomato sauce for our spaghetti and have decided to share it with you. The thing we love about making things from scratch is that we know exactly what goes in. Buying bottled tomato sauce is convenient if you're looking for a quick fix meal, but nothing beats the taste of sauce made with love. Here is a quick and simple recipe that will leave you with the best tomato sauce on the block.

You can toss the sauce with some basil and rocket through some hot spaghetti, spread over your pizza bases or use it to make a classic Bolognese. We whipped ours up with spaghetti for the whole family. We're not ones to honk our own horn, but it was pretty amazing, and if our dad having seconds is anything to go by, this recipe will definitely be on rotation for a while.

Preparation: 25 minutes   /   Cooking: 1 hour 10 minutes  /   Serves: 6

*Ingredients:

   1 kg ripe tomatoes, diced

   3 tbs tomato paste

   2 garlic clove, crushed

   1 large onion, finely chopped

   1 large zucchini, diced

   7 mushrooms

   500 g beef mince

   3 cups beef stock

   handful of basil leaves

   rocket

   1 tsp sugar

   olive oil

   salt

   pepper

Instructions

Step 1 Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

Step 2 Add onions and garlic and cook for 8-10 minutes until tender. Stir often.

Step 3 Increase heat to high and add tomato paste. Stir for 1 minute.

Step 4 Stir in tomatoes and sugar. Bring to the boil then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 40 minutes. 

Step 5 Add in mushrooms, zucchini and mince. Cook for another 15-20 minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Step 6 Add basil leaves and season to taste

* If you plan to store the tomato sauce for consumption later on, do not add the mince, stock, mushrooms or zucchini until use. Place the sauce in sterlised jars, seal and store in the fridge. Use within 1 month.

If you give this recipe a go, make sure to share a photo and tag us @MxKstyle. We would love to see how you use your sauce!

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♥ M + K