Tomato paste is tomatoes that have been cooked for a long time & reduced until very thick. It is usually quite sweet & is used as an antipasti or starter for other dishes & sauces.

Tomato sauce is a light seasoned puree of tomatoes & (sometimes) herbs. This is not to be confused with Pasta sauce which in theory has all the seasoning of a final prepared dish. Tomato sauce is a base used when juice alone is too thin.

Here's a yummy example recipe that will use both tomato paste & tomato sauce to create a finished pasta sauce:

* 1 1/2 lbs ground chuck (no leaner than 80/20)
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1 medium onion, chopped
* 2 cloves garlic, minced (to taste)
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 teaspoon oregano
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
* 1 teaspoon salt
* ground pepper
* 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
* 2 (16 ounce) cans tomato sauce
* 1 (28 ounce) can diced tomatoes
* freshly grated parmesan cheese

Brown the ground beef, onion and garlic in olive oil with bay leaves, oregano, basil, Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper.

Add tomato paste, tomato sauce and diced tomatoes.

Stir well and bring to a simmer over medium heat.

Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

Serve on spaghetti.

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