Tomato Spinach Sauce

This is a clever pantry stretch, a dump-and-simmer sauce that turns half a jar of spaghetti sauce into a full meal’s worth of sauce by blending in fresh spinach, basil, garlic, and a packet of vegetable soup mix. Fast, frugal, and sneaky-healthy.

The spinach is the workhorse. Blended with water, fresh basil, and garlic, it turns into a vibrant green base that amplifies the tomato sauce rather than thinning it out. The soup mix brings seasoning depth and a bit of starch that helps the sauce cling to pasta.

The “rinse the jar and use that too” line is honest home cooking, no flavor left behind. Dump the sauce into the pot along with the soup powder, then whirl the remaining ingredients in a blender with whatever water is needed for a smooth pour.

Simmer until the sauce reduces to your preferred thickness. Twenty minutes gives a medium body, 30 minutes thicker. Toss with pasta, use in lasagna, or spoon over baked chicken.

Kitchen Tips

• Use fresh spinach for the brightest color, frozen works but tastes duller.
• Add a splash of olive oil at the end for richness.
• Start with less water, you can always thin but cannot un-thin easily.
• Taste before salting, soup mix is already seasoned.

Variations

• Swap half the spinach for kale or arugula for a peppery lean.
• Add a handful of mushrooms to the blender for umami depth.
• Stir in a can of cannellini beans for a protein-rich one-pot sauce.