A recipe developer has shared a simple tip for making the 'best' tomato pasta sauce: add vanilla. The surprising ingredient transforms the sauce, making it taste 'incredible,' according to foodies online.
Vanilla in Savory Dishes
Eleanor Wilkinson, a recipe developer and author of One Pot One Portion, posted the tip on TikTok. She said: 'This is the best tomato pasta I have ever made and the secret ingredient is something everyone has in the kitchen but would never think to put in a savoury dish.'
Wilkinson explained that she learned the trick at a vanilla farm in Mauritius. 'Vanilla is actually a spice. It's not inherently sweet, so whilst it seems strange, it actually adds something to this sauce I have never tried or tasted before.'
Social Media Reaction
The post earned thousands of likes. One commenter said: 'This is SO CLEVER.' Another wrote: 'OMIGOSH, I’m eating it now, and it's INCREDIBLE!!! It soothes the acidic burn of the tomatoes and adds a more savoury unctuousness that I’ve never tasted before!'
Expert Tips
According to Chowhound, vanilla is a 'magic ingredient' for tomato sauce. 'Adding vanilla to tomato sauce is a trick that shouldn't work — not at first glance — but it does.' They recommend using Mexican vanilla for its spicy flavor that merges well with tomato sauce.
Wilkinson suggests using vanilla extract if bean paste is unavailable. Her recipe is based on Marcella Hazan's famous three-ingredient pasta sauce, with vanilla as the twist.
