The best basic tomato sauce to always have in your freezer

With this dish in your freezer, you’ll always have a delicious, healthy, and heartwarming meal on hand—even on the busiest days. This basic tomato sauce is already super tasty on its own and can also be used in countless other dishes (here are a few examples below). Get ready to enjoy one of the tastiest and easiest tomato sauces you’ve ever had!

Grateful Frozen Foods

There are just those days when you’re incredibly busy. Sometimes you’ve already given so much of yourself throughout the day that when you get home in the evening, you’ve got little motivation to cook an elaborate meal. Often, those are also the days when a heartwarming, delicious, and nutritious meal is exactly what you need to feel better. For me, there are few things that make me feel more grateful than a dish made with love that I can simply pull out of my freezer on days like that. 

So by taking the time to make that delicious, heartwarming meal during a quieter moment and freezing it, you’re also investing a little in your future self’s sense of happiness. It’s sometimes said that change is the only constant in life. The fact that life will always get too busy to cook at some point—and that you can make everyone happy with tomato sauce—are the close runners-up on the list of life’s certainties. 

Having a delicious tomato sauce base in your freezer really ties everything together. This tomato sauce is ready in less than an hour and makes four servings. If you have a busy schedule coming up, you can always double the quantities. Then you’ll have even more to look forward to. 

What's the best way to freeze the sauce?

Once the tomato sauce is ready, it's important to let it cool as efficiently as possible. One way to do this is to place the pot on a rack so that air can circulate underneath it. 

Divide the sauce right away into individual-serving freezer containers or bags. This is a lifesaver because once you’ve thawed the sauce, you can’t refreeze it. Plus, it makes life even easier for your future self because you won’t have to worry about portion sizes anymore. After a busy day, all you have to do is thaw your container of sauce—how great is that? 

It’s also a good idea to label the container with “tomato sauce” and the date you made it. In this blog post , you’ll find everything you need to know about freezing meals, explained step by step and illustrated with photos. 

How long can I store the sauce?

You can definitely keep the sauce in the freezer for 3 to 4 months. Just keep it in the refrigerator for a few days. You can also always use a smell, appearance, and taste test to determine whether something is still edible or not. 

What else do I need to do on the day itself?

Cook 80 to 100 g of pasta per person, depending on whether you have big or small eaters at the table. In the meantime, defrost the tomato sauce. The easiest way to do this is in the microwave on the defrost setting. Putting the sauce in the refrigerator the morning before is also an option (but that requires a bit more planning). You can also fry some (vegan) ground meat to go with it. 

You can also just eat the sauce on its own, perhaps with some lettuce on the side. A handful of chickpeas or nuts per person goes very well with it, too. 

The Recipe

Ingredients: (4 to 5 servings)

• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 tbsp double-concentrated tomato paste
• 680 ml tomato passata (1 bottle)
• 400-gram can of diced tomatoes
• 1 basil plant
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• A generous amount of salt and pepper
• 400 g shiitake mushrooms

Preparation: (35 minutes)

1. Chop the onion into small pieces and sauté it in a large pot. 
2. Meanwhile, finely chop the garlic. 
3. Add the garlic once the onion is translucent.
4. Let the tomato paste cook along with the other ingredients for a moment. This will neutralize its sour taste.
5. Then add the tomato passata, the diced tomatoes, and the double-concentrated tomato paste, and let it simmer over medium-high heat.
6. Season generously with salt and pepper. 
7. Pick the leaves from the basil plant and chop them finely. 
8. Add the basil leaves and maple syrup to the sauce and mix well. 
9. Cut the mushrooms into small pieces. Put some olive oil in a separate pan and sauté the mushrooms. Season them with pepper and a little salt. 
10. Finally, stir the sautéed mushrooms into the sauce. 

Enjoy your meal!

Zoë, what should I do with the leftover ingredients?

• Chopped tomatoes

You can use any leftovers (from a pack like this with several cans) to make this delicious pizza . You can also use it in this cauliflower casserole . 

• Shiitake mushrooms

If you have any mushrooms left over, this salad is the perfect way to put those leftovers to delicious use. You can simply add them—as many as you have left. Otherwise, about 100 g per person is a good guideline. 

Recipe Video

Cook along with me live as I walk you through the recipe step by step. While we're cooking, I'll share lots of fun facts about the ingredients.