Super Food Family Classics
By Jamie Oliver
1 hr
Not Too Tricky
makes 2
About the recipe
There are three great things about this recipe. First up, it’s great for embracing whatever veg you’ve got to hand - fresh, frozen or tinned, it’s all good. Secondly, tomato sauce is so versatile – you can use it for lasagne, curry, pasta sauce, chilli, on pizza, in a soup, you name it. Finally, it makes a big batch, so portion it up and freeze it, so you’re prepped for future meals. I’ve used two tins of tomatoes here, but feel free to chuck more in (if you’ve got them) to make the sauce go further.
Recipe From
Ingredients
2 small onions
2 small leeks
2 sticks of celery
2 carrots
2 courgettes
2 red peppers
½ a butternut squash (600g)
2 cloves of garlic
olive oil
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 x 400g tins of quality plum tomatoes
Top Tip
It’s always nice to celebrate the changing seasons and the great thing about this recipe is, this sauce works with pretty much any veg you’ve got to hand - just get it prepped and add to the mix.
Method
- Start with your veg prep – you can either do this by hand (which is a great way to practise your knife skills) or, in batches, rattle it all through a food processor.
- Peel the onions, wash and trim the leeks, celery, carrots and courgettes, deseed the peppers and squash (there’s no need to peel it), then finely chop it all. Peel the garlic and finely chop by hand.
- Put a super-large pan on a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the garlic and oregano, fry for 1 minute, then add all the prepped veg.
- Cook with the lid on for 25 minutes, or until the veg are soft but not coloured, stirring regularly.
- Pour in the tinned tomatoes, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, then just under half-fill each tin with water, swirl around and pour into the pan.
- Simmer for 25 minutes, or until the sauce has reduced. Leave to cool a little, then blitz until smooth, taste, and season to perfection.
You can also make this sauce by roasting the veg for maximum flavour. Just toss your prepped veggies with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper in a large, sturdy tray, and roast in the oven at 200°C/400°F/gas 6 for about 1 hour, or until soft and caramelised. Once done, transfer the tray to a medium heat on the hob, pour in the tinned tomatoes, half-fill each tin with water, swirl and pour into the tray, then simmer as above. You can keep it chunky, mashing it with a potato masher, or blitz it until smooth in a blender or with a hand blender. Finish by seasoning to perfection with salt, pepper and a little red wine vinegar.
In recipes using more than one tin of tomatoes, try swapping out one tin for a tin’s worth of this sauce, for an extra boost.
Divide up this batch recipe and freeze for future meals, from cheat’s pizzetta, to simple pastas.
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