Pasta sauce from scratch

I love pasta. It got my through my skint student days when the budget was tight and the food had to be quick, cheap and satisfying. But white pasta and sauce from a jar is not the healthiest meal. I switched to wholemeal pasta about 8 years ago and now I don't like white pasta and the bloated feeling it gives me after, and I've swapped jars of sauce for homemade. Much less sugar, much more veg! Here are my favourite 'red' sauces;

My go to;

Mince 2 cloves of garlic, 1 large onion, 3 carrots and 3 sticks of celery (I usually chuck it all in the food processor!). Soften the garlic and onion in a little oil (coconut is great, olive is good) and then add in the other veg. When it's all softened up add in some tomatoes- you can either blend up dine fresh ones or add in some passata. Simmer and season to taste.

And the one I made today;

Blanch and peel approx 1kg of tomatoes and then blend or mash to a pulp. Mince 2
cloves of garlic and 1 small onion and soften in a little oil. Add in your tomatoes and bring to the boil. Turn down to a simmer and add 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, salt and pepper to taste,
A teaspoon of paprika, a generous amount of fresh or dried basil and the same of oregano. Turn the heat right down and stir frequently until the sauce has thickened. Depending on the time of year, if your tomatoes aren't very rich in flavour you add an optional blob of tomato purée.

Both sauces keep in the fridge for up to 3 days in a sealed container and freeze really well.