Basil 25g

Recipes & Uses

Recpe for Basil

' Classic Dried Basil Marinara Sauce

Why It’s #1:
✅ Pantry-friendly – Uses shelf-stable dried herbs
✅ Better than jarred – Intensifies flavor over slow cooking
✅ Versatile base – Works for pasta, pizza, meatballs, or parmigiana

Ingredients (serves 4-6):

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 onion, finely diced

• 4 garlic cloves, minced

• 2 (28oz) cans San Marzano tomatoes (crushed by hand)

• 2 tsp dried basil (key ingredient)

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)

• 1 tbsp tomato paste (for umami)

• 1 tsp sugar (balances acidity)

• Salt & black pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Sauté onion in oil until translucent (5 mins), add garlic until fragrant (30 sec).

2. Stir in tomato paste, cook 1 minute to caramelize.

3. Add tomatoes, dried basil, oregano, and spices. Simmer uncovered 30-45 mins, stirring occasionally.

4. Adjust seasoning – Add sugar/salt if needed.

Pro Tips:
🔹 Dried basil rule: Use 1/3 the amount of fresh (1 tsp dried ≈ 1 tbsp fresh)
🔹 Flavor boost: Add 1/2 tsp dried basil at the end for brighter notes
🔹 Freeze extras: Sauce keeps 3 months frozen

Why Keep Dried Basil in the Pantry?

No fresh basil required
Fresh herbs are wonderful, but they're not always available when you need them. Dried basil gives you an easy pantry alternative.

Made for everyday cooking
This isn't an ingredient that needs a special occasion or complicated recipe.

Perfect with tomato
Basil and tomato are a classic combination for pasta sauce, pizza, soups and baked dishes.

Works beyond Italian food
Use it with chicken, fish, vegetables, eggs, salads, dressings and marinades too.

Easy to store and easy to measure
No washing, chopping or leftover bunch slowly wilting in the fridge.

What Does Dried Basil Taste Like?

Dried basil is sweet, aromatic, gently peppery and slightly minty.

Its flavour is different from fresh basil.

Fresh basil is brighter and more delicate, while dried basil develops a deeper, more concentrated herbal character that works particularly well in dishes that have time to cook.

That makes it ideal for sauces, soups, casseroles and other cooked dishes.

How to Use Dried Basil

Tomato Pasta Sauce

Add basil to tomato, onion and garlic and allow it to simmer into the sauce.

It's one of the easiest ways to give a simple tomato sauce a more rounded, aromatic flavour.

Pizza

Add Dried Basil to pizza sauce before baking or sprinkle lightly over the finished pizza.

Soups

Use it in minestrone, tomato soup, vegetable soup or bean soups.

Chicken

Combine basil with garlic, olive oil, lemon and seasoning for an easy chicken marinade or roast seasoning.

Fish

Sprinkle over fish with olive oil and lemon before baking.

Roasted Vegetables

Use on tomatoes, courgettes, capsicum, eggplant, potatoes or mixed vegetables before roasting.

Dried Basil vs Fresh Basil

They aren't identical — and they don't need to be.

Fresh basil is best when you want a bright, fresh herbal finish, such as on a salad or freshly cooked pasta.

Dried basil is particularly useful when you want the herb to cook into the dish.

Think:

Tomato sauces.
Soups.
Stews.
Pizza sauces.
Roasted vegetables.

And unlike fresh basil, it can sit in the pantry waiting for the next time you need it.

Get More Flavour from Your Dried Basil

Before adding Dried Basil, gently crumble the leaves between your fingers.

This helps release more of its aroma.

For slow-cooked sauces and soups, add it early enough to give the herb time to soften and mingle with the other ingredients.

You can also add a smaller amount towards the end when you want a little more herbal character in the finished dish.

Try It This Way

For an easy everyday tomato sauce, gently cook onion and garlic in olive oil.

Add tomatoes, Dried Basil, salt and black pepper.

Allow the sauce to simmer so the basil has time to release its flavour.

Use it for pasta, spoon it over meatballs, spread it onto pizza or use it as the base for a baked dish.

One simple sauce can become several meals.

Beyond Pasta

Once you've opened the pack, try it in:

• Pizza sauce
• Tomato pasta sauce
• Minestrone
• Tomato soup
• Garlic bread
• Roast chicken
• Fish
• Meatballs
• Lasagne
• Pasta bakes
• Roast tomatoes
• Courgettes
• Capsicum
• Eggplant
• Omelettes
• Frittatas
• Quiche
• Salad dressings
• Herb butter
• Marinades

Dried Basil earns its place in the pantry because you don't need to go looking for a special reason to use it — it fits naturally into everyday cooking.

Storage

Store Dried Basil in an airtight container in a cool, dark and dry place to help protect its colour, aroma and flavour.

Other Top Dried Basil Recipes:

1. Garlic Bread Seasoning – Mixed with butter, garlic powder, and Parmesan

2. Italian Dressing – Whisk with oil, vinegar, and dried herbs

3. Meatloaf Glaze – Ketchup + dried basil + Worcestershire sauce

4. Pizza Seasoning – Combined with dried oregano and red pepper flakes

Fun Fact: Dried basil contains 3x more antioxidants than fresh per gram (Journal of Food Science). Its flavor profile changes when heated—developing more tea-like and minty notes compared to fresh basil’s brightness.