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How to thicken pasta sauce

Don't panic if you're sauce is looking a little runny.
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Cooking in a rush or a hurry never goes down well. You either end up missing ingredients, skipping steps or the end product never looks as good as the pictures you saw on Pinterest.

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So it’s a Tuesday night and you’re trying to get dinner on the table in a flash. You finally decide on making one of your go-to pasta recipes that’s quick, easy and always a crowd-pleaser. You’ve shopped all the ingredients at the supermarket and now just need to put it all together.

Everything seems to be going well but for some reason, the sauce is a mess, it’s runny and the sauce is sliding straight off the pappardelle.

No need to panic, there are ways to thicken the sauce so you still can have a delicious dinner in no time.

Four simple ways to thicken a pasta sauce

1. Simmer slowly

A gentle simmer usually does the trick. Make sure to not turn up the heat too high, and just let the sauce simmer on the stove. This method isn’t the best if you’re up against time, but it’s a great one to have up your sleeve if you don’t have any extra ingredients in the fridge.

2. Add flour or tomato paste

In many Chinese dishes like chicken and corn soup, a slurry of cornstarch and water is used. Similarly to help thicken your ragu, you can add flour, cornstarch or tomato paste with some water to make your own slurry. Just be sure to only add a little at a time and see how it thickens over the heat.

Slow cooker bolognese

3. Grab the cheese

If you’re planning to sprinkle cheese over the top of your bowl of piping hot pasta, you might as well just add it to the sauce. Grate some parmesan over your saucepan to add extra flavour while thickening the bolognese sauce.

4. Whip out the food processor

Sometimes you need a nifty gadget to help you. Wipe the dust off your blender or food processor and get blitzing. Once you’ve pureed part of your sauce add it pack to the pan to finish.

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Profile picture of Eunice Oh
Eunice Oh

Based in Sydney, Eunice Oh is a content producer, K-beauty expert and major foodie. Her work has appeared in That's Life, Woman's Day, Girlfriend Magazine, 7News and BEAUTYcrew.

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