"Cheats" Spaghetti with a Garlicky Tomato Pasta Sauce

Now, I love pasta. It’s my ultimate comfort food and one of my favourite lunches. The only problem is that a lot of pasta sauce recipes you find take ages to cook, and usually when I want pasta, I want it fast. That’s where this lovely recipe comes in. Introducing my “Cheats” Spaghetti with a Garlicky Tomato Pasta Sauce, a delicious recipe that you can whip up in under 30 minutes. The tomato sauce can easily be made and ready by the time the pasta has finished cooking.

I designed this pasta sauce recipe as a quick fix with all the flavour of something that would take an hour or more because honestly, most people are often strapped for time or just couldn’t be bothered to spend heaps of time in the kitchen on a weeknight. Sometimes, that’s just not practical.

The reason I use canned tomatoes is because I especially love to eat pasta in the winter months and fresh tomatoes aren’t that great when they’re not in season and also because it is a lot quicker and easier to use canned tomatoes – using fresh tomatoes would add an extra 30-45 minutes onto the recipe, as the best way to use fresh tomatoes for the sauce is roasting them. But if you would like the recipe for that version, then please comment below and I’d be happy to post it!

I do recommend being a bit generous with the salt. It’s best to taste as you go, but I think the flavours come out more when seasoned a bit more. I also don’t use pepper in this recipe, as it can be a little overpowering for the simple tomato sauce. 

I hope you give this “Cheats” Spaghetti with Garlicky Tomato Pasta Sauce a try, and if you do I would love to hear how it went! Feel free to tag any of my social media channels and share a picture! I’m @kjsfoodjournal on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter! 

'Cheats' Spaghetti with Garlicky Tomato Pasta Sauce

• Servings: 4
• Time: 25 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
• Print

Ingredients

300g Dried Spaghetti

For the Sauce

1 tbsp Oil
2 Cloves Garlic
1 x 400g tin Crushed Tomatoes
1 tsp Fresh Oregano, roughly torn
1 tsp Fresh Chives, finely diced (optional)
1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1 tsp Sugar
Salt, to taste

To Serve

Finely Grated Parmesan, to serve (optional)
Fresh Parsley, to serve (optional)

Directions

1. Place a large pot on high heat and fill with water. Add a decent amount of salt and bring to boil. Once boiling, add spaghetti and cook until tender. Drain the pasta in a colander and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, add oil to a medium sized pot on medium heat and gently sauté garlic until golden. Add tomatoes and stir through.

3. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a gentle simmer, tasting to make sure the seasoning is to your liking.

4. Allow to cook for a few minutes to reduce slightly, around 5-10 minutes and remove from heat.

5. Add spaghetti to the pot and toss through the sauce to cover. Divide into serving bowls and serve.