The Unexpected Ingredient You Need To Add To Pasta Sauce ASAP
When pasta night rolls around, you're often faced with tons of options you can whip up to impress your family. You can make a rich plate of garlicky shrimp scampi, dripping with butter and pungent notes from the garlic. Or, you could opt for stuffed shells, which might seem effortless when you eat them but require plenty of prep work.
However, rather than going all out and slaving away in the kitchen all day over dinner, you can also whip up some delicious pasta by simply using some unique ingredients to upgrade your spaghetti or another simpler style of pasta. If you go this route, one ingredient in particular will do the trick — Marmite.
Marmite is a sticky, brown spread made primarily of yeast extract. It also includes vitamins and flavoring to give it a salty, savory flavor that makes it the perfect flavor-packed ingredient for meals like chili or, in this case, pasta sauce. Better yet, Marmite may be a superfood thanks to its high niacin content. When you add it to your pasta sauce, you get a tangy complexity that takes it to the next level all while packing in the vitamins.
Incorporating Marmite into your pasta sauce requires consideration
The first thing to be aware of when you add Marmite to your pasta sauce is that not all versions are the same. A jar of British Marmite has a much stronger, saltier flavor. On the other hand, if it's Marmite from New Zealand, the saltiness is slightly subtler and you may even pick up on sweet notes. You could also go for Vegemite, the Australian version of the spread. The difference between Marmite and Vegemite is pretty minimal, but Vegemite is thick and fairly bitter, and like the British version, can pack a powerful punch.
Beyond the style of Marmite you choose, it's also important to consider the quantity. Remember, this is a pretty strong ingredient, so just as you wouldn't add cubes upon cubes of beef bouillon to a stew, you won't want to go overboard with the Marmite, either. You only need about a teaspoon of Marmite to bring out additional flavors in your meal. Start with a small amount; you can always add more to the sauce according to your taste.
Finally, it pays to know that Marmite, especially if you've gone with the Aussie Vegemite version, is quite a sticky substance. Try dissolving the spread in a bit of hot water before adding it to your sauce to ensure it gets evenly distributed throughout. With these tips, you're ready to add Marmite to your sauce and upgrade even the simplest pasta into a truly mouthwatering meal.