If you happen to’re seeking to elevate your easy tomato pasta sauce, recipe developer and cookbook writer Eleanor Wilkinson has shared her secret ingredient.

Elevate a easy tomato pasta sauce with this uncommon ingredient beloved by foodies (Picture: AnnaPustynnikova by way of Getty Photos)
Pasta is the last word consolation meals, and it is splendidly simple to organize after an extended, hectic day at work. There is not any want for something elaborate – generally all it takes is completely cooked pasta and a superb, easy tomato sauce.
That mentioned, when you’ve grown bored with the identical previous tomato pasta sauce, recipe developer and cookbook writer Eleanor Wilkinson has not too long ago revealed the ingredient she swears by to rework this beloved dish. It is proved so game-changing, the truth is, that she insists there is no going again. Eleanor’s secret weapon for elevating essentially the most fundamental of tomato sauces is recent vanilla beans scraped straight from the pod.
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vanilla pods (Picture: Getty Photos)
In a current TikTok video, Eleanor mentioned: “That is the most effective tomato pasta I’ve ever made, and the key ingredient is one thing everybody has of their kitchen however would by no means assume to place in a savoury dish.”
Upon sampling a forkful of the completed pasta, she mentioned: “That’s completely unbelievable. That is why I like meals, because of this I like travelling, because of this I like studying new issues, as a result of I’d have by no means thought to do that – and now I by no means wish to do it a distinct approach.”
The recipe developer drew inspiration from Marcella Hazan’s legendary three-ingredient pasta sauce, broadly thought to be the “greatest” and most simple pasta sauce. Eleanor was fast to agree that this specific recipe stays “unbeaten,” stories The Mirror.
The only distinction in her model is that alongside the three core components of tinned tomatoes, onion and butter, Eleanor incorporates recent vanilla.
She defined: “That is one thing I realized at a vanilla farm in Mauritius. And when you did not know, vanilla is definitely a spice, not inherently candy.”
@eleanorgwilkinson
One of the best tomato paste I’ve ever had!!! And all all the way down to this one ingredient… If you happen to noticed my final reel you’ll know what a particular, academic and emotional time I had at @vanillart_mauritius and one of many issues I used to be determined to attempt after I left was including vanilla to my tomato pasta! And now I by no means wish to make it a distinct approach?????? It’s fascinating and totally different with out being tough or fancy! Simply easy components used effectively! Full recipe on my web site!!
♬ authentic sound – eleanorgwilkinson
“So while it appears unusual, it truly provides one thing to the sauce that I’ve by no means tried or tasted earlier than, and I am so excited so that you can give it a go. It is scrumptious and fascinating however nonetheless exceptionally straightforward.
“It is the form of recipe that makes you are feeling like knowledgeable chef, even when you’re simply cooking from your individual kitchen.”
Eleanor’s video has already garnered greater than 7,827 views, selecting up 388 likes and 13 feedback on the time of writing. Laura mentioned: “Ooooo that sounds so fascinating, I have to attempt!!”
Nell’s Kitchen commented: “That is SO CLEVER.”
Lilibet merely wrote, “Wild,” whereas Vince agreed, “Gotttta do this.”
So when you’re looking out for a inventive strategy to reinvent your subsequent do-it-yourself pasta sauce, this is how one can replicate Eleanor’s twist in your individual kitchen.
Marcella Hazan’s Tomato Sauce with Vanilla
Substances
- One tin (400g) tomatoes (plum or cherry tomatoes are greatest)
- One onion, halved
- 50g butter
- One vanilla pod (or two tsp vanilla extract)
- Salt
To serve
- Two parts of pasta of your alternative
Methodology
Add the tinned tomatoes, onion, butter and vanilla to a pan over a medium warmth. Let that simmer away for 40 to 45 minutes, including a splash of water if wanted.
Style and season with salt to your deserved desire. Boil the pasta till simply in need of al dente. Fish out the onions from the sauce, then tip the pasta into the pan together with a splash of pasta water.
Stir and toss every part collectively, cooking for a remaining couple of minutes till the pasta reaches al dente.















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