While it's convenient to buy pasta sauce, it much healthier to make it. Ditch the jar and make your own...

The grocery isle shelves are filled with rows of ready-to-use pasta sauces in jars or plastic containers and most of us add one or two of these to our trolleys when we pass them.

But while they are convenient, they are not the healthiest topping for your pasta and are also usually quite pricey. These already-made sauces typically contain heaps of sodium as well as sugar, additives, like thickeners, and preservatives, to keep them on the shelves longer.

So instead of reaching for the jar, why not have some fun and whip up your own homemade tomato pasta sauce using wholesome, fresh ingredients. It’s quicker and easier than you think, with the added bonus of being more environmentally friendly because it doesn’t generate as much packaging waste.

The key health benefit is that you won't be having nearly as much sodium with the homemade version and will also skip the additives like sulphites, calcium chloride (stabilizer and thickener) and citric acid, often found in these ready-to-eat sauces.

Try this quick, simple and tasty tomato pasta sauce recipe:

Heat one tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan, over medium heat.
Add one medium chopped onion and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes.
Add one of clove minced garlic and cook for one minute more.
Add four large tomatoes, chopped, two tablespoons tomato paste and one bay leaf and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Pour over steaming al dente pasta, top with a sprinkle of Parmesan and fresh, torn basil leaves, and serve.

Eat This: One cup of sauce from this recipe contains about 390 kilojoules, 2.6 grams protein, 4.3 grams fat, 13 grams carbohydrates and 21 milligrams sodium.

Not That: Depending on the brand, one cup of average ready-to-eat tomato pasta sauce contains roughly 750 kilojoules; 4 grams protein, 6 grams fat, 26 grams carbohydrates and 1120 milligrams sodium.

Here's how to cook pasta the right way.