A rustic, creamy, thick and full of flavour Cherry Tomato Sauce, that's perfect for serving over pasta. It's made with only 6 ingredients and is easy enough for midweek, yet worthy of company too.
1tablespoonolive oil(optional - sauté with a few tablespoons of water instead to make the recipe oil-free)
1mediumonion, chopped finely
4clovesgarlic, chopped very finely
2 teaspoonsdried herbs, rosemary, herbs de Provence, thyme, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning all work really well (use what you like best. Any or a combination of them is fine).
1½teaspoonsfine salt, plus more to taste
½teaspoonfreshly ground black pepper
2 heaping cups / 350ghalved cherry or grape tomatoes, or the same quantity of fresh larger tomatoes chopped into chunky pieces
⅓ cup / 5½tablespoonstomato paste (tomato puree in the UK) - Don't use regular canned tomatoes
1 cup / 240ml unsweetened milk of choice , I like to use a creamy milk like my cashew milk
Instructions
Warm a tablespoon of olive oil (or water for oil-free) in a large sauté pan over a medium heat.
Add the onions and cook, moving frequently until just starting to colour, then add the garlic. Cook for a minute longer.
Add the tomatoes and keep moving everything around for about 4 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst a bit and are just starting to caramelize.
Turn the heat down to medium low, and add the salt and pepper and herbs, then the tomato paste. Stir together well.
Pour in the milk and stir well until a creamy sauce is formed. Keep it simmering over the heat for about 7 minutes, until the sauce reduces down and thickens up enough to coat the pasta well. If you leave it any longer and it thickens up too much, simply add another little bit of milk to thin it out.
Video
Notes
This full recipe will make enough sauce to coat about 500 g / 17 oz of spaghettiSauce keeps well in the fridge for 5 - 6 days and freezes well.