I use this sauce for everything and it’s delicious, high in fiber and good for your gut

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This sauce will change your life

Woman wearing a white shirt and a brown apron stands in front of open fridge holding a red onion
(Image credit: Getty Images / Taras Grebinets)
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Necessity is often a catalyst for creativity, and one evening, while contemplating a glut of onions I had grown and had no idea what to do with, inspiration struck me.

Now, I have the opposite problem: I’ve run out of onions.

I make this sauce once a week and keep it in a bowl in the refrigerator to use as needed. It goes into everything I cook: it makes a great pasta sauce and is a delicious dip for your tortilla chips.

Onions and garlic are also gut health superfoods (at least for those who don’t follow a low-FODMAP diet): high in prebiotic fiber (the food for your gut microbiome) and rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

It’s easy to customize too, so if you want to make a spicy version or throw in a Cajun or Mexican spice mix, go right ahead—the result is always tasty.

It doesn’t matter if you chop like a toddler, either. It’s all going into a blender in the end and while you want uniform-ish pieces for even cooking, they don’t need to be pretty.

Roast onion sauce recipe

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 300℉/150℃.
  2. Roughly chop your onions and shallots, and peel the garlic.
  3. Place in an ovenproof dish with the sundried tomatoes and drizzle some of the olive oil from the jar over the top.
  4. Add the tomato paste and garlic puree and mix thoroughly until everything is well coated. Season well and place in the oven.
  5. Cook for 30 minutes at 300℉, then shake the tray and flip over anything that is beginning to catch. A few blackened bits won’t ruin the flavor, but the aim is to achieve a rich, dark brown color to the onions.
  6. Reduce the temperature to 200℉ and put the tray back in the oven for 30-45 minutes until the onions are fully caramelized. Give them a shake every 10 minutes to make sure they cook evenly.
  7. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
  8. Once cool, place your cooked ingredients in a blender or food processor with the passata and blitz until smooth.

Ingredients

  • 1 white onion
  • 1 red onion
  • 2 large or 4 small shallots
  • 6 sundried tomatoes in olive oil
  • 6 cloves garlic (smoked if you can get it)
  • 1tbsp tomato paste
  • 1tbsp garlic puree
  • 250g passata
  • Seasoning (I use oregano, basil, salt and pepper but you can try it with smoked paprika or chilli for a spicy kick)

How to use it

My favorite ways to use this sauce include:

1. As a pasta sauce

It should have a similar texture to pesto and can be used in much the same way. It also tastes great cold, and I like to add it to my chicken pasta salad with arugula, grated cheese, chicken breast and peas for a make-ahead lunch.

2. As a dip

It really is that good. I spread it on crackers and dip chips into it, but be warned: it will make your fridge smell oniony.

3. With grilled cheese

I love a grilled cheese, and if you smear a layer of sauce on your bread before you add the cheese, you’ll have taken it to another level—like an oniony Welsh rarebit.

4. In curry

If you want to add some extra oniony kick, add a spoonful of the sauce after toasting your spices and before your liquid ingredients. It’s a lovely accompaniment to beef in particular.

5. On barbecue chicken

I’ve swapped out the barbecue sauce for this onion sauce and it works well: just coat your drumsticks, thighs and wings in a thin layer and throw them on the barbecue.

Lou Mudge
Lou Mudge
Fitness Writer

Lou Mudge is a Health Writer at Future Plc, working across Fit&Well and Coach. She previously worked for Live Science, and regularly writes for Space.com and Pet's Radar. Based in Bath, UK, she has a passion for food, nutrition and health and is eager to demystify diet culture in order to make health and fitness accessible to everybody.

Multiple diagnoses in her early twenties sparked an interest in the gut-brain axis and the impact that diet and exercise can have on both physical and mental health. She was put on the FODMAP elimination diet during this time and learned to adapt recipes to fit these parameters, while retaining core flavors and textures, and now enjoys cooking for gut health. 

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