The Cheap Domestic Goddess - things to do with red sauce

Since my last posting about cooking bulk red sauce, I've been diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and so large amounts of pasta and cheese sauce have gone the way of the Dodo. But I still make bulk red sauce because it allows me to control the sugar levels and vegetable content. These days I make it in the slow cooker because that allows me to make it without using any oil. I get about 4.5ltrs and freeze it in 500g batches. To use I simply zap it for 7 minutes in the microwave.

 

But, variety is the spice of live, they say and there are so many times in one week one can eat pasta with red sauce. So here are the things I now do with my red sauce:

 

1. Pasta bolognese. In a non-stic frying pan with a pump spray of olive oil, fry off an onion. Add 100g turkey breast mince and one defrosted portion of red sauce. Serve with 75g of your favourite pasta.
2. Tortillas. In a non-stick fry pan with a pump of olive oil, fry off an onion. Add 100g of turkey mince and one defrosted ports of red sauce. Add two teaspoons of smoked paprika, one teaspoon of chilli flakes and one of dried oregano. Slice up a pepper. Warm through some wholemeal tortillas. Put two desert spoons of the meat mixture into a tortilla, plus some of the peppers. Sprinkle a small amount of low-fat cheese and roll up. Serve with a green salad and a dollop of low-fat creme fraiche. People who like it hot can splodge some Tabasco sauce to pep things up.
3. Baked chicken. Take two chicken breasts and butterfly. Lay them in a small oil-sprayed casserole dish. In a small bowl mix up two teaspoons each of garlic granules (some might call this garlic salt), smoked paprika, ground cumin and ground cinnamon. Spoon a couple of teaspoons on the top of each breast and rub in. Turn them over and rub the remaining mix into the other side. Pour one defrosted portion of red sauce over the chicken and bake in an oven at 190°c (180°c for fan) for 30 minutes. Serve with either couscous or brown rice and some steamed green vegetables.
4. Cauliflower pizza base. Take a medium head of cauliflower and remove the leaves and stem. Blitz in a food processor until it resembles short grain rice, then cook in a microwave on high for about 5 minutes. Leave to cool. In a large bowl, combine the cauliflower, 1 large egg and 150g low-fat cream cheese. Pepper to taste. Kneed into a dough and divide into four roll each piece into a round until it is about 1cm thick. Cook at 200°c (190°c for fan) for about 30 minutes until it is firm and golden brown. Spread the surface with some defrosted red sauce and add your favourite toppings, finishing with a small amount of low-fat mature cheddar. Cook for another 10-12 minutes.

I hoped you enjoy these dishes. You could also use this in a moussaka (my Greek friend, Kat might dispute this), but I've never tried. Please feel free to comment below and add your favourite uses for red sauce.

Posted with Blogsy on my iPad