Via fucktum

I call this a pasta sauce, but you can use it as a base for so many things: a rice bake, a vegan shepherd’s pie (add 1/2 – 1 can of lentils, a tsp of dried herbs, top with seasoned mashed potatoes & a few tablespoons of pumpkin seeds, bake for 20 mins & viola!), as a topping for corn chips, or filling for quesadillas. It gets around ♥

What you need:

1 small onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed*
2 tbsp olive oil**
1/8 – 1/4 tsp sea salt
1 courgette, chopped into half moons
4-6 button mushrooms
1 400g can chopped tomatoes ***
3 – 4 tbsp tomato puree or passata

OPTIONAL: small handful of basil, roughly chopped just before using
OPTIONAL: big handful spinach leaves, destalked and sliced thinly

What to do:

Heat 1 tbsp oil briefly in med-hot frying pan (about 10 secs), add garlic and cook one min, stirring. Add onion, cook 2-3 min, until translucent.

Add courgette, cook 3-4 min, stirring occasionally. Add shrooms, 1 tbsp oil and cook two mins, stirring frequently. Lightly season with salt.

Reduce heat slightly. Add chopped tomatoes and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until liquid has reduced. Season lightly with salt. Add tomato puree/passata and stir through. Add spinach and/or basil, if using, cover and cook on low heat for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside and heat through before serving.

Serves 2-3

This sauce is great with fusilli or other spiral-y types of pasta. Leftover sauce can be refrigerated for a few days; reheat in a saucepan with a little water.

* no pre-crushed, from-a-jar crushed garlic! That stuff is balls!
** the key to amazing pasta sauce is good olive oil (extra virgin if you can swing to it)
*** go organic if you can; organic canned tomatoes aren’t actually much more expensive that standard brands, it’s an easy & relatively cheap way to inject some organic goodness into yourself