Once you’ve made this, you won’t want to buy shop jars any more, the flavour is amazing. I make this with tomatoes from my garden which I know adds to the flavour, but in the winter I make it with shop bought tomatoes, more of that at the end.
This is so easy I try and make it whilst I’m cooking something else in the oven to save on energy costs, it keeps in the fridge for a few days in an air tight container and it brilliant for freezing, just put it in a zip lock bag and lay in flat. This then means it’s a very quick dinner when I am ready to use it.
You will need (this makes enough for 3-4 people)
- 12 – 15 medium size tomatoes (or equivalent weight of different sized ones)
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- palm full of fresh or 1tbsp frozen basil
- salt and pepper
Pour 1tbsp of oil in a roasting tray, cut the tomatoes in half and lay them in the oil, making sure they all have oil on the bottom so they don’t stick. These photos show peeled garlic cloves, but you can also just cut off the bottom end and put in as they are, then when it has cooled the garlic squeezes out. Do whatever you find easier.
Drizzle the rest of the oil over the top and cook in the oven for about 10 mins. The timings will depend on how big your tomatoes are, so keep an eye on them, you want them to be fully cooked/roasted but not burnt. Leave to cool as much as you can.
Pour the whole tin into a food blender with the basil, tomato puree, salt and pepper. Mix well until it is smooth. Taste it to check there is enough seasoning and basil.
We have this really simply with just whole-wheat spaghetti with a side of broccoli or red peppers. You could also add it to mince or lentils for a bolognaise or lasagne.
Top tips
- If you don’t have a jug blender, but it in a jug and use a stick blender. A food processor would probably work as a well, but you’d have to keep checking for lumps
- If you are using shop bought tomatoes, the best ones would be beef or plum tomatoes as they have loads more flavour. But they are very expensive. A cheaper way to do it is to buy normal salad tomatoes (what they call the standard sized round ones) and then leave them in a bowl for a few days at least to ripen up. You should do this with tomatoes anyway, storing them in the fridge robs them of their flavour. You want them slightly soft and very red for this recipe.
- Frozen basil can be found in the vegetable section of the supermarket. It is in little boxes, you can also get other herbs, garlic and chilli like this. Great for keeping in the freezer till you need it.
