There's a jar of tuckara.com/post/aldi-pasta-sauce-recipe-hacks-5-ways-under-3" title="ALDI Pasta Sauce Recipe Hacks: 5 Ways Under ">pasta sauce sitting in most Recipes 2026: Fresh and Affordable">Australian pantries right now. It's a reliable dinner safety net — crack it open, heat it up, pour it over pasta, done. But those jars, depending on the brand, cost anywhere from $3.50 to $7+, and most of them taste like they've been sweetened and thickened to appeal to the broadest possible palate rather than actually cooked.

Here's the thing: making pasta sauce from scratch is not complicated. It's not time-consuming. The ingredients are cheap, especially when you lean on pantry staples and the excellent canned tomato products available at any Australian supermarket. And the result? A sauce that tastes genuinely homemade — richer, more complex, and fresher than anything in a jar.

This guide covers five pasta sauces you can make entirely from scratch for under $5, including a cost breakdown for each. All of them use widely available ingredients from Woolworths, Coles, or any good local grocer or market.

Why Make Pasta Sauce From Scratch?

Before the recipes, let's address the obvious question: if jarred sauce is so easy, why bother?

Flavour. The biggest reason. Jarred sauces are shelf-stable products designed for a long shelf life, which means they're often cooked down heavily, high in sugar and sodium, and missing the freshness that comes from sauce made and eaten the same day.

Control. When you make sauce from scratch, you control the salt, the sweetness, the acidity, and the texture. You can make it spicy or mild, chunky or silky, thick or pourable.

Cost. A 400g can of diced tomatoes costs around $1. A whole bulb of garlic is under $1. A bunch of fresh basil is $2–$3. The pantry staples — olive oil, salt, dried herbs — cost cents per serving. You can make a sauce that feeds four for $2–$4, which is better value than almost any jar.

Versatility. Once you understand how these sauces are built, you can adapt them infinitely — add vegetables, change the herbs, use fresh tomatoes in summer when they're cheap and in season, or swap the protein in and out.

The Essential Pasta Sauce Pantry

Keep these items stocked and you can make every sauce in this guide at any time:

    • Canned diced or whole peeled tomatoes — Buy in bulk when they're on special. San Remo, Mutti, and supermarket home brands all work well. Price: ~$1–$1.50 per 400g can.
    • Tomato paste — Adds depth and colour. A tube is more economical than a can if you only use small amounts. ~$1.50 per tube.
    • Olive oil — Extra virgin for finishing, regular for cooking. A 500ml bottle is ~$5 and lasts a long time.
    • Garlic — Fresh is essential. A whole bulb is under $1 and should be replenished regularly.
    • Dried herbs — Oregano, basil, Italian mixed herbs, chilli flakes. A standard jar of each is ~$2–$3 and lasts for months.
    • Salt and black pepper — Self-explanatory. The most important seasoning.
    • Pasta — 500g of any dried pasta (penne, spaghetti, rigatoni, fettuccine) is $1–$2 from any supermarket. Budget for this separately.

Sauce 1: The Classic Pomodoro

Estimated cost: ~$2.50 for 4 servings

The pomodoro is the mother sauce — the purest expression of tomato and olive oil. There are only four real ingredients, which means the quality of each one matters enormously. This is Italian cooking philosophy in its most concentrated form: use fewer, better ingredients, and do as little to them as possible.

The most famous version involves a debate about whether to use butter or olive oil. This recipe uses olive oil (more Australian pantry-friendly) but adding a small knob of butter at the very end is a flourish that makes the sauce silkier and slightly richer.

Ingredients:

  • 2 x 400g cans whole peeled tomatoes or diced tomatoes (~$2)
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely sliced (not minced — the texture matters)
  • 4 tbsp good olive oil (~$0.30)
  • 1 tsp sugar (to balance acidity, optional)
  • Salt to taste
  • Fresh or dried basil
  • Small knob of butter, optional

    • Method:

    Gently warm the olive oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook very slowly, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until the garlic is soft and pale golden but not browned. This gentle cooking is important — you want the garlic to become sweet and fragrant, not bitter.

    Pour in the tomatoes, crushing whole tomatoes with your hands as you add them (this is satisfying and produces a better texture than just breaking them with a spoon). Season with salt, add the sugar if using, and let the sauce simmer uncovered for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens and the colour deepens.

    Tear in fresh basil at the end if you have it, or add a teaspoon of dried basil. Stir in the butter if using. Taste and adjust — it should taste sweet, acidic, herby, and deeply tomato-forward.

    Toss through spaghetti with the pasta cooking water used to loosen the sauce. This is the sauce for when you want simplicity done with intention.

    Sauce 2: Arrabbiata (Spicy Tomato)

    Estimated cost: ~$2.50 for 4 servings

    Arrabbiata means "angry" in Italian — a reference to the chilli heat. It's essentially the same structure as pomodoro with the addition of dried chilli flakes and a slightly more aggressive flavour profile. It's one of the great pasta sauces precisely because it's unapologetically bold.

    This version leans into the heat more than most restaurant versions, but the chilli level is adjustable.

    Ingredients:

  • 2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes (~$2)
  • 5 cloves garlic, sliced
  • 1–2 tsp dried chilli flakes (to taste — start with 1 and increase)
  • 4 tbsp olive oil (~$0.30)
  • Salt
  • Handful of fresh parsley or dried parsley to finish

    • Method:

    Same base method as the pomodoro: gentle garlic in olive oil, but this time add the chilli flakes with the garlic. The chilli blooms in the oil, releasing its heat and colour into the fat, which then infuses the entire sauce.

    Add the tomatoes and cook on slightly higher heat than the pomodoro — arrabbiata benefits from a more vigorous simmer that reduces the sauce more aggressively and concentrates the flavours. Cook for 20–25 minutes until deeply reduced and the oil has separated slightly at the edges (this is correct and desirable).

    Finish with parsley, not basil — parsley is the right herb here, offering freshness without sweetness that would undercut the heat.

    This sauce is best with penne or rigatoni — the tubes catch the sauce and deliver it with the pasta in each bite.

    Sauce 3: Amatriciana

    Estimated cost: ~$4.50 for 4 servings

    Amatriciana is the sauce that demonstrates why cured pork — traditionally guanciale (cured pork cheek), but more practically pancetta or bacon in the Australian supermarket context — transforms a tomato sauce into something far more complex.

    The fat from the cured pork renders into the sauce, adding a smoky, savoury richness that elevates the tomatoes completely. This is a sauce that tastes like it took significantly longer than it did.

    Ingredients:

  • 150g bacon or pancetta, finely diced (~$2.50)
  • 2 x 400g cans diced tomatoes (~$2)
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • ½ tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 3 tbsp olive oil (~$0.20)
  • Salt and pepper
  • Parmesan to finish (optional but excellent)

    • Method:

    Cook the bacon or pancetta in the olive oil over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the meat is lightly crispy around the edges — about 6–8 minutes. Don't rush this. The rendered fat is the flavour base.

    Add the garlic and chilli flakes and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and season lightly with salt (the bacon is already salty — taste before adding more). Simmer for 20 minutes until thick and glossy. The fat from the bacon should have merged into the sauce, creating small orange-tinted puddles on the surface — this is beautiful and correct.

    Toss through bucatini or spaghetti, finishing with a generous amount of grated parmesan if you have it. This is a sauce that makes people ask what restaurant you ordered from.

    Sauce 4: Creamy Garlic and Herb Sauce (No Cream Required)

    Estimated cost: ~$3.00 for 4 servings

    A lot of creamy pasta sauces are actually made without much cream at all. This version uses a technique where the pasta cooking water — starchy, silky, and flavoured from the pasta — is emulsified with olive oil and garlic to create a sauce that feels rich and creamy but contains no actual cream.

    This is the sauce to make when you open the fridge and it looks completely empty.

    Ingredients:

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 5 tbsp olive oil (~$0.40)
  • Zest and juice of 1 lemon (~$0.50)
  • Large handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped (or 2 tbsp dried)
  • 1 cup pasta cooking water (saved before draining)
  • Salt and generous black pepper
  • 400g pasta (~$1.50)
  • Parmesan to finish, optional

    • Method:

    Cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water. Before draining, scoop out at least 1–2 cups of the cooking water — this is important, don't forget it. The starch in this water is what makes the sauce work.

    While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil in a wide pan over low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook extremely gently for 3–4 minutes — you want it completely soft and golden, not brown. This slow garlic is the flavour foundation.

    Add ½ cup of the pasta water to the pan and stir vigorously — the oil and water will emulsify into a cloudy, slightly creamy-looking liquid. Add the drained pasta directly to this pan and toss aggressively, adding more pasta water as needed. The starch, oil, and heat create a glossy, light sauce that clings to every strand of pasta.

    Add lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley at the end. Season generously with salt and black pepper. The result is a sauce that tastes clean, bright, garlicky, and satisfying — nothing like what you might expect from such a simple ingredient list.

    Sauce 5: Slow-Cooked Tomato and Basil Sauce (The Batch Cook)

    Estimated cost: ~$4.50–$5.00 for 8 servings (cook once, use twice)

    This is the sauce you make on Sunday afternoon while you're doing other things. It uses cheap ingredients — canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, dried herbs — but cooks them for a much longer time than typical weeknight sauces. The result is deeply complex, slightly sweet, and rich in a way that can't be achieved with a 20-minute simmer.

    Make a double batch, freeze half in a zip-lock bag, and you have a free weeknight dinner next week.

    Ingredients:

  • 3 x 400g cans whole peeled tomatoes (~$3)
  • 1 onion, finely diced (~$0.50)
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 tbsp olive oil (~$0.30)
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste (~$0.20)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil (and/or fresh basil added at the end)
  • Salt and pepper

    • Method:

    Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 8–10 minutes until soft and translucent — take your time here. A properly softened onion is foundational. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.

    Add the tomato paste and stir it around the pan for 1–2 minutes — cooking the tomato paste briefly like this deepens its flavour and removes any raw, slightly metallic taste. Add the canned tomatoes, crushing them as you pour them in. Add the sugar, dried herbs, salt, and pepper.

    Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to very low and cook uncovered for 45–60 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will reduce significantly and darken in colour. The tomatoes will break down completely and the flavour will concentrate and sweeten.

    Season, add fresh basil if you have it, and use it immediately or store. This sauce freezes perfectly and actually improves after a day in the fridge as the flavours continue to develop.

    Making Pasta Sauce Even Cheaper: Summer Tips

    Buy fresh tomatoes in summer. January through March, Australian summer tomatoes — particularly the truss and roma varieties — are excellent quality and often cheap at markets and grocers. A kilogram of ripe roma tomatoes for $2–$3 can replace two cans of diced tomatoes in any of these recipes. Simply roast them in the oven at 180°C for 30 minutes or cook them down on the stovetop.

    Grow your own basil. A small pot of basil from a nursery is about $3 and, with a bit of attention, produces fresh basil for months. This is the single best fresh herb investment for a pasta cook.

    Buy garlic in bulk. A whole bulb is always better value than the pre-minced jars, and fresh garlic has a far superior flavour. A bulb typically has 10–15 cloves and costs under $1.

    The Pasta Water Rule

    This deserves its own section because it's the single most important technique for all pasta and sauce cooking, and it's the thing most home cooks don't know.

    Save a cup of pasta cooking water before you drain. Always. Even if you think you won't need it.

    This starchy water is the secret to professional-quality pasta dishes. It loosens sauces without diluting their flavour, helps sauces adhere to the pasta, and creates that emulsified, glossy finish that makes pasta at a good restaurant taste different from pasta at home. Pasta water can transform a sauce that looks too thick and sticky into something that coats each piece of pasta perfectly.

    Cost Summary

    | Sauce | Key Ingredients | Cost (4 servings) | |---|---|---| | Classic Pomodoro | Canned tomatoes, garlic, olive oil | ~$2.50 | | Arrabbiata | Canned tomatoes, garlic, chilli | ~$2.50 | | Amatriciana | Bacon, canned tomatoes, garlic | ~$4.50 | | Creamy Garlic and Herb | Garlic, olive oil, lemon, parsley | ~$3.00 | | Slow-Cooked Tomato Basil | Canned tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs | ~$4.50 (8 serves) |

    Add $1.50–$2 for a 500g bag of pasta to any of these and you have a complete meal for four people for under $6–$7. That's faster to make than ordering takeaway, less expensive than any jarred alternative, and far more satisfying in every way.

    Homemade pasta sauce is one of those kitchen skills that pays dividends every single week once you have it. Start with the pomodoro, nail the technique, then work your way through the others. Within a month, you'll wonder why you ever bought the jar.