The easiest ever pasta sauce

This makes enough sauce for two meals - a plate of pasta plus enough left over to make huevos rancheros (see below) or anything else for which you need a bit of tomato sauce.

Serves 1 + 1
Vegetarian
Under 15 minutes
Under £1 a head

2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
1 400g tin of tomatoes in their own juice 
Salt, pepper and sugar to taste

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the garlic. Tip in the tin of tomatoes and crush with a fork or a wooden spoon. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar and simmer for about 10 minutes till thick and jammy. Spoon half the sauce over a plate of freshly cooked pasta and grate over some cheese (ideally Grana Padano or Parmesan but strong Cheddar is fine too)

TOP TIP

* Tinned whole tomatoes are usually cheaper than chopped tomatoes and almost always cheaper than tomatoes that are flavoured with other ingredients such as basil

* to make a cheat's version of the Mexican breakfast dish huevos rancheros add a dash of hot chilli sauce and some chopped fresh coriander to the sauce and serve it over a couple of fried eggs