As a child, whenever we took a skiing trip (we would stay in a condo with an adequate kitchen) and my dad would “cook” dinner which amounted to Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks and spaghetti with Ragu tomato sauce. My brother and I remember this well but I don’t think we would chose to have this meal now because really our tastes have changed and I like to think that I am a more evolved home cook!
Now, I don’t know about you but I don’t have the time to stand on my feet for hours and make homemade tomato sauce (like grandma use to do in the commercials). But if you do have this time, by all means I would like to order a jar from you! So, in these busy times I think it’s ok to “enhance” your “homemade” pasta sauce by starting with an ordinary jar that you find on the supermarket shelf.
And here are some easy hacks to take.
Heat your sauce- I always put my sauce on the stove to lightly simmer before tossing with the pasta.
Add veggies- I will usually sautee with garlic and olive oil some squash, carrots or mushrooms and add to the sauce. I also love throwing in some black olives and maybe some capers and spinach to the sauce. By adding these fresh veggies, my sauce becomes more flavorful and authentic.
Add sugar- Sometimes the sauce tastes too acidic and so I add a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce.
Add dairy- This is a straightforward way to achieve a creamy sauce. As the tomato sauce warms, stir in about ½ cup of heavy cream, half-and-half, or whole milk. The color will evolve to a rosy tone. Soft cheese and grated cheeses are always a good idea too!
Fresh herbs- Finish the sauce with a handful of freshly chopped herbs, such as basil, parsley, oregano, cilantro, chives or thyme.
So you can see, it doesn’t have to be elaborate or overly complicated to make a store bought item taste like it was made at home! Just use your imagination and you can’t go wrong!