Vegetarian Spaghetti Sauce Recipe - The Mindful Hapa (2024)

FAQs

What can I add to spaghetti sauce to make it taste better? ›

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.

Cornstarch: Make a slurry of half water, half cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

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.

Tomato paste is a pantry MVP: Its concentrated, almost meaty taste adds nuance and body to everything from pasta sauce to stews, casseroles and more. But home cooks tend to miss out on the flavor potential hiding out in that little can or tube.

You see, fresh tomatoes contain a lot of liquids, which are released during cooking. And if you don't give them time to evaporate, your sauce will be diluted. So, whether you are making homemade marinara sauce, or trying to improve a store-bought one, the best thing to do is to let it simmer on low heat.

Egg yolks, arrowroot, tomato paste or butter can thicken sauce in place of flour or cornstarch.

Cinnamon and nutmeg to eliminate tomato sourness

If you use canned or bottled peeled tomatoes, you can "soften" the sourness by adding half a teaspoon of cinnamon or nutmeg while cooking.

Leaf states that this can be due to burning the sauce in the pot or simply dealing with a batch of produce that are overly acidic or metallic from canning or cooking. This can also come from under-ripe or low-quality tomatoes, as well as stirring in a hefty amount of tomato paste, per Boss The Kitchen.

blend completely 3 large carrots, an onion, as much garlic as you like, half a small pepper, 2 stalks of celery. Adding more carrot will make the sauce sweeter and less tomato tasting. Don't go over board with the pepper (particularly if using poblanos) or celery, unless you really love those flavors.

How do you level up spaghetti sauce? ›

Traditionally, manufacturers have used either steam injection or steam-jacketed kettles in cooking facilities. Steam injectors have the tendency to turn tomato-based products orange because of over-processing and excessive aeration of the tomato ingredients during cooking.

What You'll Need. You will need some easy ingredients like canned tomatoes, dried seasonings, ground beef, and garlic to make this homemade spaghetti sauce recipe. Ground Beef – Use any ground beef you like. You will drain the excess grease from it so it really does not matter what percentage of fat you use.

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.

Yes, sugar might make the sauce taste better, but good old baking soda is an alkaline that will help balance the excess acid. A little pinch should do the trick.

Time Is a Valuable Ingredient

But you should consider simmering for three or more hours, letting it lazily cook away, no more than a few straggling bubbles surfacing at a time. Time plus low heat and fresh ingredients make for a great sauce.