WSS Food: 5 Must Try Passata Recipes
Passata is a pantry essential that can be included in a multitude of dishes; from Italian dishes, such as meatballs, chicken cacciatore to stews and casseroles to Mexican dishes.
What is passata? Basically, passata is tomato that’s been pureed and passed through a sieve to strain out any lumps, so it’s perfectly smooth and a great base for tomato dishes. We prefer to use Leggo’s Gourmet Rich Australian Tomato Passata from Woolworths.
Here are our five favourite recipes using passata:
Quick and Easy Meatballs
A quick and easy mid week meal that the whole family will love.
Ingredients:
2 x 12 pack of premade meatballs (we prefer the Cleaver’s Organic Beef Meatballs)
2 cups of Leggo’s Gourmet Rich Australian Tomato Passata
1 small onion, chopped
I tbs of dried Italian Herbs
1 tsp minced garlic
I cup of Perfect Italiano 4 Cheese Perfect Melt
Method:
Preheat oven to 180 deg C.
Heat a frypan and cook onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add passata and Italian herbs and cook for 2-3 minutes. Meanwhile, spray a baking dish with olive oil and line the tray with the meatballs. Top with the passata mix from frypan and spread evenly over the meatballs. Top with the shredded cheese. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.
Gazpacho
Who says soups are only for winter? A healthy, chilled soup hits the spot during the warmer months.
Ingredients:
2 cups Leggo’s Gourmet Rich Australian Tomato Passata Puree
2 spring onions, trimmed, sliced
1 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
½ cucumber, peeled, chopped
1 small red onion, peeled, chopped
½ red and ½ green capsicum, stalk and seeds removed, chopped
2 tbsp sherry vinegar or rice wine vinegar
salt and white pepper
Method:
Blend all of the ingredients to a smooth purée in a blender or food processor and chill in the fridge overnight.
Homemade Baked Beans
You haven’t tried baked beans until you’ve tried homemade baked beans. Easy to make and full of flavour, you’ss wonder why you hadn’t made them until now.
Ingredients
2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
850g cannellini beans, drained, rinsed
700g Leggo’s Gourmet Rich Australian Tomato Passata
1 tsp Paprika
Method:
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until softened. Add beans, teaspoon of paprika and passata. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until reduced slightly.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Nothing is quite as good as a slow cooked meal waiting for you when you get home from work. Filling and healthy, what is there not to love?
Ingredients
1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1.2kg gravy beef, cut into 3cm pieces
1 large brown onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, peeled, finely chopped
1 large celery stick, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 tbsp sweet paprika
2 tsp Beef Stock Powder
125ml (1/2 cup) Leggo’s Gourmet Rich Australian Tomato Passata
4 dried bay leaves
2 large fresh rosemary sprigs
20g butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp White Plain Flour
Method:
Heat 1 tbs of oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Cook the beef, in batches, for 5 minutes or until evenly browned. Use tongs to transfer the beef to a slow cooker.
Heat the remaining 1/2 tbs oil in the pan. Add the onion, carrot and celery. Reduce heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until tender. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the paprika and stir to coat.
Spoon the onion mixture over the beef in the slow cooker. Add the stock powder, passata, bay leaves, rosemary and 375ml (1 1/2 cups) water. Cover and cook on High for 5 hours (or low for 8 hours) or until the beef is very tender.
Place the butter in a small bowl. Add the flour and use a spoon to mash until combined. Add to the beef mixture in the slow cooker and stir well to combine. Cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened. Season. Serve with mashed potato and topped with parsley.
Chicken Cacciatore
Ok, so this recipe takes a bit more work, but we promise, it is worth it. Everyone will be wanting more!
Ingredients:
3 tbsp olive oil
6 chicken Drumsticks, trimmed of excess fat, skin on
6 chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat, skin on
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, chopped
150g sliced pancetta, chopped
3 garlic cloves, crushed
125g button mushrooms, sliced
100ml dry white wine
1 690g jar of Leggo’s Gourmet Rich Australian Tomato Passata
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 bay leaf
150ml chicken liquid stock
1 cup pitted Kalamata olives
Method:
Heat the oil in a large casserole dish over medium-high heat. Add the chicken drumsticks and chicken thighs and cook until browned all over. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Add the onion, celery, carrot and pancetta to the pan and cook over low heat for 5 minutes until the onion softens. Add the garlic and mushrooms and cook for a further minute. Return chicken pieces to the pan, add the wine and allow to simmer 1-2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, sugar, vinegar, rosemary, bay leaf and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and cook, covered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the olives and cook for a further 10 minutes.
Transfer chicken to a platter, then reduce the sauce over high heat for 5-6 minutes. After cooking the sauce for 5-6 minutes, pour the sauce over the chicken on the platter. Serve garnished with the parsley.
