On most weeknights, kitchen goals pretty much look like spending as little time as possible to rustle up a meal and put food on the table as quickly as possible. In these events, using pantry ingredients that are readily available, save up on prepping and cleaning up after; like using jarred tomato sauce for example. While there is absolutely nothing wrong with picking up tomato sauce off of a supermarket shelf, often times, they tend to be one-dimensional or bland. However, a bit of zhuzhing up will let the tomato sauce reach its full flavour potential and give you the most delicious results, when used in the right way. Use these creative ways to elevate your tomato sauce and add that extra bit of razzle to your weeknight meals.
Adding Tomato Paste
If you’re looking to make a pasta or pizza sauce in the shortest amount of time, squeezing a few ribbons of tomato paste, changes your tomato sauce game completely. While jarred sauce has more of a fresh tomato flavour, adding tomato paste brings a slow-cooked, concentrated tomato flavour, which might make it seem like you’ve been slaving by the stove for hours on end. Here’s a bonus tip: bloom the tomato paste in olive oil before you pour in the sauce to harness flavour to its full potential.
Spice It Up
Want a sauce with more depth and complexity? Turn to your good ol’ spice cabinet to give you the flavours you’re looking for. If you’re making bhuna masala with your bottle of tomato sauce, add some whole spices like cinnamon and cardamom, along with chilli powder and garam masala for a robust and layered flavour. Using the tomato sauce to coat your boiled pasta? Add a few dashes of dried herbs and garlic salt for that extra bit of flavour.
Garlic To The Rescue
Although chances of store-bought tomato sauce containing a hint of garlic is pretty high, amplify the flavour by adding confit garlic or even minced garlic to your sauce. For a more complex flavour, sauté the garlic in olive oil for a couple of minutes before you pour in the sauce and let it simmer. Use this garlickly sauce as a base for your stews and curries and build more flavour as the recipe calls for it.
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Befriend The Brine
Although tomatoes are inherently acidic in flavour, adding a bit of saltiness with chopped olives or capers really enlivens the sauce, overall. If your sauce is simmering away, add the olives or capers right at the end for a briny punch, and use on top of vegetables, chicken and even fish. Adding briny flavours to your sauce also adds a touch of umami without the use of a meaty or fishy ingredient, making it a great vegetarian option.
Say Cheese
Make your tomato sauce rich and luxurious by adding a couple of dollops of ricotta cheese. Add an extra hit of saltiness by dropping in a parmesan rind into the sauce as it simmers, to let it be infused with delicious, savoury flavour. Sprinkle some freshly grated parmesan or cheddar over warm tomato sauce for that gooey richness which works beautifully in dishes like lasagne or cannelloni.