1 small onion, peeled and diced
1 small carrot, grated
1 tin (400g) chopped tomatoes
½-1 stock cube or 1-2 tsp stock powder
½ tsp brown sugar
boiling water
a few torn basil leaves
salt & pepper
Method:
Sweat the onion in a little oil until soft and translucent and just beginning to stick to the bottom of the pan.
Add the tin of tomatoes and the grated carrot and sugar, stir well and turn down the heat.
Dissolve the stock cube or powder in ¼ litre of boiling water and add.
Cook until the carrots are soft, stirring occasionally, for 10ish minutes.
Add the basil for the last minute of cooking, ripping the leaves rather than cutting with a knife as this will make the basil turn black.
If you like you can blend this sauce to make it smooth, or use a potato masher if you don’t have a blender!
Check seasoning and add if necessary.
To make soup: just add a little boiling water until the soup is the texture you like, or a little cream for a more luxurious soup!
Or use as a base for minestrone soup – just add some veggies, beans and a little pasta or rice and a wee bit more stock. NB this is a perfect way to use up leftover cooked veg / pasta, or you could use frozen or tinned veg. If you eat meat you can use beef stock for a more authentic flavour, or spice it up with some chorizo and use chickpeas instead of beans!