Meal Prep with Homemade Tomato Sauce

Homemade tomato sauce | Meal Prep hacks | Maple and Marigold

Homemade Tomato Sauce as a meal hack? When I first made it, it almost seemed too easy. “It’s just tomato sauce,” I thought! Stay with me for a moment here. Simmered with spices like fennel, turmeric and garlic, this sauce is full of flavour and is so good for our health. Prep it on Sundays and I promise, it will rescue weeknight dinner, many times over.

Homemade tomato sauce | Meal Prep hacks | Maple and Marigold

I have been making my own tomato sauce for a long time. It started one summer when I bought a bucket of fresh tomatoes, and since then I have never looked back. Of course with all my Indian cooking like this paneer makhani, homemade pizza, bolognese, wraps and more, I put it to good use.

Real-Life Tips

  • Add in grated zucchini, carrots or whatever other vegetables you have on hand and you can use this sauce in all kinds of pasta and stews.
  • I blanch the tomatoes to peel the skin off. The flavour and texture is far superior, The skin is also harder for many people to digest, so if your kids (or you) have a sensitivity to tomatoes, eliminate them from your diet for a week and then reintroduce without the skin.
  • I cook the tomato sauce with fennel seeds, garlic and turmeric. These spices are great for our mental and physical health. You can totally customize this with what you have on hand – bay leaves, oregano, basil all work really well here.
  • The turmeric adds its signature golden colour which may look a little odd in tomato sauce. I add balsamic vinegar to offset that and make sure it “looks” how it’s supposed to 🙂
Homemade tomato sauce | Meal Prep hacks | Maple and Marigold

Tomato Sauce Hack

I make a big batch of this tomato sauce on Sunday afternoons and freeze it in separate jars for the next little while. During the week, thaw a jar out and use it as a core ingredient in another dish to shorten the cook time, for example in stews and curries. Alternatively, you could use it as a spread in wraps and sandwiches, or for a boost of flavour and nutrition in homemade pizza.

Convinced, yet? You will be when you try this recipe out.

Homemade tomato sauce | Meal Prep hacks | Maple and Marigold

Homemade Tomato Sauce Recipe

Print Recipe
Cook Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 10 Tomatoes medium sized
  • 10 cloves Garlic
  • 2 tsp Fennel seeds
  • 2 tsp Turmeric
  • 2 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
  • 2 tbsp Ghee or oil

Instructions

  • Cover tomatoes in water in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan
    Homemade tomato sauce | Meal Prep hacks | Maple and Marigold
  • Let boil and to then turn to simmer.
  • Take tomatoes out in 3-4 minutes. You’ll see the wrinkles appear slowly. Some may even form cracks in the skin. This is good – it will help pop the skin off.
    Homemade tomato sauce | Meal Prep hacks | Maple and Marigold
  • Let the tomatoes cool and then use your fingers to peel the skin off.
  • Add oil or ghee to a heavy-bottomed pan
  • Add garlic and fennel seeds and let them sputter
  • Add peeled whole tomatoes in there along with all the other ingredients.
  • Squeeze the tomato skins between the palms of your hands to get the last drop of pulp.
  • Turn to high and boil once.
  • Turn to simmer and cook for 30 mins.
  • Use the immersion blender at the end to liquefy into a puree.
  • Pour into serving size jars and refrigerate. I use reused jam jars.
  • If not using with 5 days, freeze.

Questions + Comments

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marg peart
3 years ago

When I take the tomatoes out of the boiled water, I throw them in water and add ice cubes. Then I pop the skins when I take them out. Think I read that from another recipe.

Mariam Issa
1 year ago

in which step do you add balsamic vinegar and turmeric?

Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma<br/><small>Photo by Tanvi Madkaiker</small>
Puneeta Chhitwal-Varma
Photo by Tanvi Madkaiker

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Puneeta is a writer, food advocate and guide for those who seek earth-friendly, delicious solutions that work for real life.

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