12 Easy Made From Scratch Pasta Sauce Recipes Meals | ChefDeHome.com (2024)

FAQs

What can I use if I don't have pasta sauce? ›

Cornstarch: Make a slurry of half water, half cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level. Although fresh herbs might pop a bit more, dried herbs and spices can work just as well. Sprinkling in some red pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley and a dash of salt and pepper can liven up your jarred pasta sauce.

Dried herbs: Dried oregano, basil, and parsley are all classic Italian herbs that go well in spaghetti sauce. Add 1/2 teaspoon of each to the sauce. Red pepper flakes: If you like a little heat, add a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce. This will give the sauce a bit of a kick.

First, in authentic Italian cuisine, the sauce is always tossed with the pasta before it ever hits the plate. Just before the sauce is done cooking, the hot pasta is added to the saucepan. Generally speaking, we recommend cooking the pasta in the sauce together for about 1-2 minutes.

Simply pour the sauce into a small saucepan while you're going about boiling your pasta. Let it come to a boil, then reduce the heat so that the sauce gently bubbles. Keep the simmer going for about 10 minutes or so, until you've noticed that the sauce has reduced and thickened a little, but is still saucy.

By skipping the separate boiling of the pasta and instead adding the dried noodles straight to the sauce, you can make a weeknight-friendly meal in just one pot. Bonus: It makes the pasta more flavorful, too.

Pasta water is just what it sounds like: cloudy, salty water that's leftover when you cook a vat of spaghetti or penne or whatever other pasta shape you have. When you simmer noodles in water, they release starch, giving the water that murky appearance. How starchy it is depends on your water-to-pasta ratio.

Will milk make spaghetti sauce thicker? ›

The fat in the milk also contributes to the thickness of the sauce. However, it's important to note that not all types of sauces can be thickened by adding milk and that it can also change the taste and texture of the sauce.

This could happen when you add too much pasta water into your sauce, and you accidentally drown the thick sauce with the starchy water (happens to the best of us). I find that this happens to me most often when I'm making quick sauces, like a meat sauce or light marinara that hasn't had the time to simmer.

Butter does not provide any thickening to a sauce, since it is made of just fat and water. But a chunk of butter, salted or unsalted, swirled into a sauce at the end, can temporarily emulsify a sauce, while adding richness and sheen, all of which are good things.

Cooked pasta, without any kind of sauce or filling, is actually very low in fat and calories. It's what we put on top or mix with the pasta that makes all the difference. Pasta with a rich sauce naturally will have more calories than a lemon, olive oil and herb sauce.

Add some anchovy paste, fish sauce, or parmesan cheese. (You can also add a parm rind, but try to add it early on.) All three of these bring that savory flavor your mouth craves. Tomato paste can also be added, but you need to brown in first.

Since ketchup is made from tomatoes, it can be used as a tomato sauce substitute easily in a variety of dishes—just use your judgment and be sure to taste as you go and adjust the seasoning accordingly. Ketchup is best utilized as a substitute in recipes that already have some sweetness.

If you're not tossing your pasta with sauce, or you're cooking it to reheat later, add a small drizzle of olive oil to the boiling water. The oil coats the noodles, ensuring they won't stick together.