How to Make Pasta Sauce From Scratch

How to Make Pasta Sauce From Scratch – Red and White Sauce

Hey Pasta Lovers! Are you thinking of cooking pasta at home this afternoon? And you running out of sauce and planning a shopping trip to just get some? Don’t worry, there is no need to go, you can make it in your home. You can make both white and red pasta sauce with some simple daily ingredients.

Here we are for you so that you can learn how to make easy pasta sauce at home from scratch within 2 hours.

Any home-made food is healthier than the food from the street. Because the way we make food at home is full of passion, love, and emotion that we can’t find outside. We cook according to hygiene rules at home, won’t we? There’s nothing better than real homemade sauce for meeting our pasta cravings.

What you need to do is follow our steps as described below.

Red Pasta sauce with Fresh Tomatoes

Ingredients : 

  • 2 pounds medium-sized tomatoes (about 9-11 )
  • 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or any cooking oil
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoon chopped garlic
  • 1 medium-sized onion finely chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 2 tablespoons Italian parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ teaspoon chili flakes
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ½ teaspoon or more Kosher salt

1. Prepare Tomatoes 

For perfect red sauce pick fresh and red ripe tomatoes. The very first step of making this sauce is to preparing tomatoes by peeling off their skin. Note one thing in mind, don’t use raw tomatoes with their skin for the sauce because you will not get a smooth texture.

Take 9 -10 medium-sized tomatoes, cut a thin X shape into the bottom of each tomato so that the skin can peel off easily after boiling. Leave the tomatoes in a pot of boiling water for 1 minute. Meantime prepare a large bowl full of ice cubes and water. Now immediately shift boiling tomatoes into the ice bowl. Gently peel the tomatoes using a fork. Most of your tomato skin should slide right off.

Now use a blender to make a smooth tomato paste or you can finely crush them using a knife.

2. Cook Onion, Garlic, and Bell Papers

If you are planning to make this sauce without onion and garlic then you are in the wrong direction. Because onions and cloves of garlic are famous for their aroma. They intensify the flavor of any sauce.

These tows will add crunch to the sauce. To taste the authentic relish you just have to add these two. These two will also remove the smell of raw tomatoes.

Take a pan to add 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil. Heat over medium-high and wait for shimmering. Add chopped garlic and stir for 2 minutes then gradually add onions and finely chopped bell papers. Saute with 3-4 minutes until they become juicy and tender.

3. Add Tomatoes and Seasoning 

When the onion, garlic, and bell peppers change their color add fresh blended or crushed tomatoes. Add ½ cups of water so that all the things can cook well and water will prevent all the ingredients from burning. Cook them for 10 minutes before adding all the seasonings.

At this time add kosher salt as per taste. After that add all the herbs by starting with parsley, oregano, fresh basil leaves, chili flakes, and sugar. You will now start smelling something Italian flavor at that time. If you are thinking your sauce is going to be sweet for adding sugar, in that case, you can avoid sugar. But adding sugar will increase the natural sweetness of tomatoes which will make a great combination.

4. Simmer Until Ready

Cover the pot with a lid for simmering for about 20-30 minutes on a medium flame. Stir the sauce occasionally so that it does not get burned. Check the consistency of it, if you think it’s too runny then cook it for another 10 minutes on a medium-high flame. Your target is to reduce the sauce by half by stirring.

5. Add Butter to Finish

Your perfect sauce for any kind of pasta like spaghetti, macaroni, spaetzle is almost ready but if you would like to enhance the taste then add butter before you turn off the flame. Adding butter makes the flavor richer and will give a smooth and velvety texture to your sauce. The final result will amaze you.

6. Storing 

Once your pasta sauce is ready you can use it fresh. But if you are planning to store it for later use you must transfer it to a sterilized jar. For storing condiments a glass jar with a lid is more preferable.

At first wash the jar in hot soapy water then rinses and drain. After that put the jar in a large pot of hot boiling water for 7-8 minutes then drain upside down on a clean towel and dry. Slowly Pour sauce from above and cover it with a lid. Keep the jar in a normal fridge. You can store this for up to 10 days in a fridge.

Creamy and Cheesy White Pasta Sauce 

Ingredients : 

  • Milk 500 ml 2 teaspoon flour
  • 3 teaspoon powdered milk
  • 3 tablespoon butter
  • 2 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
  • ½ cup mozzarella cheese
  • ¼ parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon oregano and dried basil leaves

1. Mix Milk, Flour and Powdered Milk

You may find many recipes of white sauce starting with heating butter. But I prefer starting with mixing raw milk with flour and powdered milk.

Now transfer the milk mixture to a nonstick pan. Heat them for 2-3 minutes and keep stirring.

2. Add Butter and Garlic

When the milk starts boiling add butter. Adding butter is the main reason for the creamy flavor of white sauce. Mix well, now add chopped garlic let them simmer for 5-6minutes. Continue to stir until the mixture thickens.

3. Seasoning 

Now, this is the time for seasoning. Reduce flame to low. Add black paper, oregano, basil leaves, salt, sugar, and chili flakes. Let them cook together so that the flavors mix with each other. Your flame should be low while seasoning. Otherwise, milk may stick to the bottom of the pot. Cook for another 5 minutes.

4. Time for Cream and cheese

At the very last step add mozzarella, parmesan, and heavy cream these will make your fettuccini more mouthwatering. When the cheese melts completely turn your flame off. Your mouth-watering pasta is ready.

5. Avoid preserving white sauce

Since the sauce is made from different types of dairy products it’s not wise to preserve it for later use. Try to use this sauce on the day you make it for a better taste. The amount of the sauce is enough for 200 grams of Pasta.

Final Thoughts

Making homemade pasta sauce from scratch is not an easy task but once you made it on your own you might not purchase from the store again. Be patient, because it takes time to prepare. Try these two sauces at least once at home, your pasta will be the yummiest. You will perhaps not ever buy the sauce in the jar again.

You can use the red sauce on a multipurpose basis. Use this for making spaghetti, noodles, lasagna, and pizza.