12 Easy Pasta Sauce Recipes - Bake. Eat. Repeat. (2024)

FAQs

Why put Worcestershire sauce in spaghetti sauce? ›

Whether you can pronounce it or not, Worcestershire sauce is an easy, effective way to load up spaghetti sauce with umami flavor. It is salty, tangy, and has lots of potent vinegar, all of which cut through tomatoes to create a soothing, savory flavor.

The trick is to cook your noodles directly in your sauce. Sounds a little bizarre, but it totally works! By adding uncooked noodles and a little extra liquid into the sauce, you end up with a simple and delicious meal made in just one pot.

Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level. Although fresh herbs might pop a bit more, dried herbs and spices can work just as well. Sprinkling in some red pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley and a dash of salt and pepper can liven up your jarred pasta sauce.

If you want to get the flavours to combine and the tomatoes to soften and get the saucy texture its best to cover the pot snd simmer on low heat. Stir occasionally to check if its sticking and do taste from time to time. If you want to reduce the sauce, evaporate excess water , you should leave the pot uncovered.

Worcestershire sauce tastes tangy, savory, sweet, and salty. The balance of those flavors makes it an excellent condiment. It is especially valued for adding the umami flavor, which comes from the anchovies.

Egg yolks are the ideal addition to pasta sauces, salad dressings and custards that need thickening. The protein in egg yolks thicken when heated and they also add a richness to sauces. You'll need to be careful when adding egg yolks to hot sauces because they can scramble the sauce.

Once the pasta is in the sauce, add pasta water. This is the most vital step in the process. Starchy pasta water doesn't just help thin the sauce to the right consistency; it also helps it cling to the pasta better and emulsify with the fat and cheese you're going to be adding.

Long, slow cooking concentrates the flavors and brings out sweetness by breaking down carbohydrates. Some of those carbohydrates caramelize, giving rich, "brown" flavors like those in cooked meat. Let it go too long, though, and you can over-concentrate the flavors.

Add fresh herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary, bay leaf), and let them simmer to give a punch of fresh flavor.

Herbs and Spices: Add a variety of herbs and spices to enhance flavor. Common choices include basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, and a pinch of red pepper flakes for some heat. Fresh herbs can bring a burst of freshness to the sauce. Tomato Paste: Stir in a tablespoon or two of tomato.

How do you add depth to spaghetti sauce? ›

Briny ingredients like olives or capers are another way to brighten up your pasta sauce while also introducing texture and depth of flavor. Roughly chop a handful and stir them into your sauce while it's heating up on the stove.

Keep the stove on medium-low heat for a steady simmer. 2. Keep the lid off the pot. Boiling uncovered water causes evaporation, whereas simmering uncovered water keeps most of the cooking liquid in the pot.

You don't need to stir pasta constantly, but stirring while cooking can help keep the individual strands or noodles separate. This prevents clumpy pasta and helps guarantee each piece is properly cooked.

This is also why folks often use the terms marinara sauce and spaghetti sauce as one in the same. They are similar, spaghetti sauce is essentially a version of a marinara sauce. Spaghetti sauce usually contains added ingredients such as ground beef to make a bolognese sauce.

IF YOU COOK spaghetti in a big pot of water, drain it, then toss it with sauce, you are pouring a lot of flavor down the drain, says Vendemmia chef Brian Clevenger. “The trick to good pasta is cooking it in the sauce,” he says. It was while working at Delfina in San Francisco that he really started to understand why.

Briny ingredients like olives or capers are another way to brighten up your pasta sauce while also introducing texture and depth of flavor. Roughly chop a handful and stir them into your sauce while it's heating up on the stove.

Worcestershire sauce is used directly as a condiment on steaks, hamburgers, and other finished dishes, and to flavour co*cktails such as the Bloody Mary and Caesar. It is also frequently used to augment recipes such as Welsh rarebit, Caesar salad, Oysters Kirkpatrick, and devilled eggs.

It adds a depth of flavor to so many foods. The wonder of this sauce is that just a small amount is all that's needed to make a subtle, but important, difference to a dish.