A good red sauce can bring alive so many dishes and is so versatile that you definitely need a good go to recipe under your belt.
Well, we have good news for your folks because you have found the BEST, red sauce recipe you’ll ever taste that also happens to be super healthy, oil and salt free. That’s right! You don’t need oil or salt in a red sauce, contrary to popular belief.
When you make your sauce packed with flavour and reduced down enough, you will find that all the natural sweetness and sodium come from your tomatoes themselves. Tomatoes are a healthy fruit that contains quite a lot of natural sodium, without the need to add more.
How To Make Homemade Italian Red Sauce
This authentic tasting, Italian red sauce recipe couldn’t be more simple. It’s quick and easy and you need to let your blender do the work to chop those tomatoes up small for you. You don’t want to over blend it or it will be too smooth (unless you like it this way). The secret is to leave TEXTURE. You’re going to want texture in there to make this red sauce recipe taste good.
Next, you will need to make sure you reduce those tomatoes really well with the Italian herbs and spices. If you under reduce, you won’t get the flavour intensity, so don’t skip or rush this step.
Which Type Of Tomatoes Are Best For Red Sauce?
The answer to this question is, any. However, we do prefer the large, beef of Heritage tomatoes for a real depth of flavour. But, do use any you can get hold of as they will intensify in flavour as they reduce down, even if they don’t have lots of flavour to begin with.
This whole foods plant based, red sauce recipe also works great with those tomatoes that are getting a little old and soft as well. Just be sure to remove all bad or mouldy parts and you should be left with some ripe and juicy tomatoes perfect for an authentic, red sauce.
Storage
Making this best ever, red sauce recipe is also a great way to use up an over abundance of tomatoes you may have during the Summer months. Are you somebody who grows their own tomatoes and literally doesn’t know what to do with them all?
Look no further than making this red sauce. It freezes well, ready for use any time in all your delicious pasta and various other dishes.
Uses For Red Sauce
The uses for your delicious, red sauce are many and we’re not just talking pasta! This sauce is truly versatile, and even the sauce itself can be tweaked with other spices and herbs to tailor it to non-Italian style dishes (however, it still works in other non-Italian style dishes as it is).
Here are some examples of what you can use your red sauce for:-
- As a base for bolognese sauce.
- Just add pasta on its own for a super simple, fast and easy pasta dish.
- Great in homemade lasagna.
- Can be used as a base for this perfect, meaty vegan chili recipe.
- Makes a great base for all soups, stews and casseroles.
- Is the perfect sauce to drizzle over steamed veggies to make the flavourful.
- Drizzle our Italian style red sauce over spicy, stuffed peppers.
Health Benefits Of THIS Red Sauce
The health benefits of tomatoes are many. And, the health benefits are intensified during the cooking process, unlike many other foods that actually lose nutrition due to heat treatment.
Health benefits of tomatoes include:-
- LYCOPENE– Lycopene is an antioxidant that is abundant in tomatoes that has been linked to a myriad of health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease and cancer.
- NUTRIENTS – Tomatoes contain high amounts of vitamin C, potassium, folate and vitamin K.
- FIBRE – Tomatoes are a high fibre food, coming in at 1.5g per average sized fruit. This make tomatoes a great weight loss food.
- PLANT COMPOUNDS – As well as vitamins, minerals and lycopene, tomatoes also contain other healthful plant compounds such as beta carotene, naringenin and chlorogenic acid.
- SKIN HEALTH– Tomatoes high lycopene content can help prevent sunburn and their vitamin C is great for skin repair and wrinkles.
- OIL FREE – We have not used oil in this recipe, therefore it’s super low fat and low calories, making it a healthy, heart friendly, weight loss food.
- SALT FREE – We have also not used any added salts to this recipe as it does not require it. This makes it healthier for the heart and also better for weight management.
The BEST Red Sauce Recipe You'll EVER Taste! Oil & Salt Free
Equipment
- Chopping board
- Chopping knife
- Blender (optional)
- Large saucepan
- Wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 12 large beef tomatoes or 20-25 smaller vine tomatoes (about 5lbs)
- 2 heaped tbsp Sicilian or Italian blend spices
- 2 heaped tbsp paprika
- 1 tbsp fresh or dried garlic crushed
- 2-3 tbsp no salt, vegetable bouillon powder or stock cubes
- 1 heaped tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Roughly chop your tomatoes, removing all eyes, tops and any mouldy bits. Add to your blender (you will probably need to do two batches so you don't overload your blender). Roughly pulse. There is no need to use the highest setting if you have a choice as you want the sauce to have a little bit of texture. No need to blend for more than 10 seconds.
- Now add your tomatoes to an appropriate sized saucepan and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat to a light, bubbling simmer. You want to make sure your sauce is bubbling because this is how you will be able to reduce it down adequately. But, do not boil vigorously.
- Add all other ingredients as soon as your sauce starts bubbling so they have a chance to infuse and cook out.
- You now want to leave your sauce on a bubbling simmer with no lid (definitely do not cover) for around 20 minutes. After this time your sauce will start to reduce and thicken. At this point you can taste test it. Add more spices if you need to. If your tomatoes are not too sweet, then you may wish to add more balsamic or even a pinch of sugar or maple syrup. Be careful with this process as a tiny bit goes a long way.
- Once your sauce has thickened to your satisfaction, it is now ready for use or to freeze. Be sure to allow it to chill down completely before your refrigerate or freeze.
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Remember, the whole foods plant based diet, no salt, no oil can be just as tasty as any other when you know how to pack FLAVOUR into your food. This recipe is proof of that.