Rustic Tomato Sauce for Ravioli

overhead shot of ravioli served on small white plate on wooden board with silver fork

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

This easy tomato sauce is perfect to pair with store bought ravioli. Better still, it only has 4 ingredients!

Prep Time5

Cook Time30

Total Time35

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £1.50 / $2

Equipment

Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon (for sauce)
Large Pot & Ladle (for ravioli)
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board (for garlic/basil)

Ingredients

1lb / 500g Fresh Ravioli (see notes)
2x 14oz/400g cans of good quality Peeled Plum Tomatoes (see notes)
4 fat cloves of Garlic, peeled & very finely sliced
1 small bunch of Fresh Basil, finely diced (typically sold in 1oz/30g packs)
2 tbsp good quality Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Black Pepper, to taste

Optional

1/4-1/2 tsp Chilli Flakes, start off conservatively then adjust at the end (add at the same time as garlic)
pinch of Sugar, if the tomatoes are still a touch sour after simmering
Parmesan, to serve

Instructions

To a large pan add 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil with the heat OFF. Add in finely sliced garlic and bring to a low-medium heat. Gently fry until the garlic softens and just about starts to tinge a very light golden.
Add in plum tomatoes and swill out the cans with a splash of water. Sprinkle in basil then add a good pinch of salt and pepper (can adjust this later). Bring to a very gentle simmer and cook for around 30-35mins, stirring occasionally and breaking up the tomatoes as you go. You want the sauce to be nice and thick with no visible signs of it being watery.
A couple of mins just before the sauce is done, pop your ravioli in salted boiling water and cook to packet instruction (usually just needs a few mins).
Test the sauce for seasoning and adjust accordingly. Now is when you can add a pinch of sugar if the tomatoes are still a touch sour. Use a ladle to transfer the ravioli from the water into the sauce. Toss to combine.
Serve individual portions with any extra basil you have and parmesan if you fancy it. Enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Ravioli - This sauce goes nicely with a range of different ravioli or tortellini. Here's some ideas:

Spinach & ricotta or any type of cheese
Sausage/spicy sausage
Lobster or most types of seafood
Bolognese or beef ravioli
Any type of chicken ravioli

b) Tomatoes - I use peeled plum tomatoes because they are slightly sweeter than other varieties. They also give you more of a rustic texture. Just try and grab a good quality can - Napolina are a pretty safe bet and widely available. San Marzano and Mutti are top tier if you can get them (in my opinion).

c) Make Ahead Sauce - Feel free to make the sauce ahead of time. Just allow to cool then tightly store in the fridge for 2-3days or freeze for a month. Gently reheat over low heat, then add in ravioli. The excess water from the ravioli will thin out the sauce again, so don't worry if it's super thick when reheating.

d) Calories - based on no parmesan, regular cheese filled ravioli and divided by 4:

Nutrition