Recipe reproduced with permission from Glenda Bishop. Glenda is a Registered Nutritionist, wellness coach, neuroscientist and educator.

Over the years, food manufacturers have trained us to buy pre-made pasta sauces because they’re more convenient. But the fact is that a basic pasta sauce, with lots of flavour, can be made very quickly at home. The added advantage of making your own sauce is that you can control the addition of other ingredients, such as onion and garlic, which is critical for a low FODMAP diet since both onion and garlic are problematic for many people with IBS.

So how do you make this quick and easy pasta sauce?

First up, start with a good quality passata, which is simply made of tomatoes and probably a bit of salt. Then add some water to thin the tomato out a little (it will thicken again while cooking) and a few things to give it flavour. I like to add the green tops of spring onions and some garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil, which are the low FODMAP versions of onion and garlic.

Next, add some herbs to give it a more Italian flavour, such as basil and oregano. Since this recipe starts off with bottled tomatoes from the pantry, it makes sense to use dried herbs that are also in the pantry. Convenience is a big part of my cooking style, especially when there’s not too much difference between fresh and dried in terms of the final result, but you can use fresh herbs if you have them available (but you’ll need about 3 times as much).

Lastly, add a tiny touch of acidity to balance out the tomatoes. I prefer to do this with balsamic vinegar because there’s always some in the pantry, although you could use a dash of wine if you had some open.

Then it takes only 15 minutes of gentle simmering and you have your own exceptionally flavoursome pasta sauce. You can use it straight away for a meal or freeze it in portions to use in other things.

The best thing though about adding this recipe to your cooking repertoire is that tomato sugo is a base recipe. This means that you can build on it to make a pasta meal, or you can use it in other types of meals. I’ve included a big list of serving suggestions at the end of the recipe. So why not give it a go and see how easy it is to add this Quick and Easy Tomato Sugo to your regular cooking.

Quick and Easy Tomato Sugo {low FODMAP}

Makes: About 3 cups or 720g – this gives 6 serves

Serving size: ½ cup

Special equipment: A large shallow frying pan is best for this recipe, but a saucepan will still work fine.

Ingredients

· 700ml jar of passata

· ¾ cup water

· ¾ cup of the green tops of spring onions, thinly sliced (you’ll need 3-4 spring onions)

· 2 tsp garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil (see notes)

· 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

· 1 tsp dried basil

· 1 tsp dried oregano

· 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

· Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Add the passata, water, onion tops, oils and dried herbs to a large frying pan. Put over a medium heat until just beginning to bubble. Then lower the heat and continue to simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

2. Add the vinegar and mix through, then add salt and pepper to taste.

3. Can be used immediately, kept in the fridge for a couple of days, or frozen in portions for later use.

To serve:

· As a simple pasta sauce: Prepare a low FODMAP pasta, stir through the sauce and top with grated cheese if desired.

· As a bolognaise sauce: First cook 500g beef, veal, pork or chicken mince in the pan. Then add the rest of the ingredients to the mince and proceed as described above.

· Using pre-cooked meats: Add the cooked meat to the sauce at the end of cooking and gently heat through. This works well for leftover roast meats, meatballs, sausages or tinned fish such as tuna or salmon.

· Add in extra vegetables: Chop up some zucchini, carrot, capsicum or eggplant and fry for a few minutes before adding in the sugo ingredients and proceeding with the recipe. You can also add a few handfuls of baby spinach at the last few minutes of cooking.

· As a vegetarian sauce: Add one tin of well rinsed brown lentils to the sauce at the end of cooking.

· As a pizza sauce: Use the sugo as a flavoursome pizza sauce on a low FODMAP pizza base, add suitable low FODMAP toppings and mozzarella cheese and cook.

· On toast with eggs: Spread on toast before topping with cooked eggs. This is delicious served with some rocket and feta or parmesan cheese.

Ingredient Notes*:

Based on the recommended portion sizes of individual ingredients in the Monash University Low FODMAP Diet app at the time of publication, this recipe should be low FODMAP provided that the recommended serving size for this recipe is not exceeded.

· Garlic-infused olive oil is a low FODMAP ingredient because FODMAPs are not soluble in oil. It is safest to use a commercially-prepared garlic-infused olive oil. I like to use the Cobram Estate Garlic Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil, which you can find in supermarkets.

· Make sure that you only use the green tops of the spring onions (scallions), since the white bits are high in fructans.

· When selecting a passata, check the ingredients to make sure it is just tomatoes and salt, with no added ingredients such as garlic, onions or flavours.

This recipe is naturally dairy-free, gluten-free and nut-free. However, if you have an allergy to any of these items, or have coeliac disease, please check the labels on any purchased ingredients to ensure they are safe for your requirements.
*Based on current data obtained from the Monash University Low FODMAP Diet app

Rachel is a university qualified Clinical Nutritionist based in Balmain. She is also the busy working mum of two teenagers, so is practical and realistic with her advice . Rachel offers private consultations to improve your family's health and well-being. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram for more healthy tips and tricks.

If you'd like help implementing a low FODMAP diet I can help you. Find out more about my services here. If you’re after more delicious low FODMAP recipes go here.

If you're an athlete looking to manage a sensitive gut during training, read this.

If you're interested in gut health, head here.