Try this tomato sauce recipe that goes with everything from pasta to sandwiches

Tomato sauce is the staple ingredient for several dishes. Be it something elaborate like a pizza or something as easy as a sandwich, you need the perfect sauce to up the taste quotient of your meals. The sauce helps to add texture, freshness and flavour to pizza or pasta, and can be made easily using ingredients available at home.

Besides adding to the flavours, you should be rest assured that tomato as an ingredient is full of nutrients. It is a major dietary source of the antioxidant lycopene, vitamin C, potassium, folate, and vitamin K. These nutrients help build immunity and reduce the risk of heart disease and cancer.

So, try out this tomato sauce recipe right at home:

Things you’ll need:

•  6 ripened red tomatoes
• 2 tsp oil
• 3 cloves garlic (finely chopped)
• ¼ onion (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp basil leaves (finely chopped)
• ¾ tsp sugar
•  ¾ tsp red chilli powder
• salt to taste
• ½ tsp oregano
• ¼ tsp chilli flakes
• 1 tbsp tomato sauce (store bought)
• ½ tbsp butter

 Also, Read: Say goodbye to aging by sipping on this Shilpa Shetty-recommended tomato and celery juice

Here’s how you can prepare this tomato sauce:

Step 1: Slightly slit the bottom of tomatoes (make an ‘x’), and add them to boiling water.

Step 2: Close the vessel and boil for 3-4 minutes or until the skin starts to separate from the tomatoes.

Step 3: Follow it up by peeling the skin of tomatoes, once they cool down completely.

Step 4: Take 3-4 peeled tomatoes and blend them to make a smooth puree.

Step 5: Chop the remaining tomatoes and discard the seeds. Transfer the chopped tomatoes to a separate plate.

Step 6: Next up, heat oil in a non-stick tawa or a pan. Add chopped garlic into the pan and sauté it, till it turns slightly golden brown. Follow this up by adding chopped onions, and sauté it until their colour changes to a golden brown.

Step 7: Add chopped and deseeded tomatoes to the onions and garlic, and cook it until it becomes mushy.

Step 8:  Add the pre-prepared tomato puree and mix basil, sugar, chilli powder, oregano, chilli flakes and salt to it.

Step 9: Mix the puree and other ingredients well, and bring the sauce to a boil.

Step 10: Cover and simmer the sauce for at least 5-10 minutes or until the sauce turns thick. Add store-bought tomato sauce and butter to the mixture, mix well and your sauce is ready!

When preparing this sauce, remember to use bright red tomatoes or else the colour of the sauce may not be appropriate. Additionally, as a matter of rule, puree half the quantity of tomatoes and chop the rest. And finally, ensure you store the sauce in an airtight container.