Can I add milk to my spaghetti sauce? (1+ recipe)

In this article, we will answer the following question: “Can I add milk to my spaghetti sauce?” and discuss the benefits and drawbacks of adding milk to spaghetti sauce. We will also give you recipes for spaghetti sauces based on milk.

Can I add milk to my spaghetti sauce?

Yes, you can add milk to your spaghetti sauce. Milk can improve the nutritional profile of the spaghetti sauce, by adding proteins, calcium and vitamins of the B-complex (4).

Milk can reduce the acidity of the spaghetti tomato sauce and become more friendly to individuals suffering from acid reflux disease (1,2). On the other hand, milk will change the flavor of the spaghetti sauce and make unsuitable to vegan consumers (5).

What are the benefits of adding milk to your spaghetti sauce?

The benefits of adding milk to your spaghetti sauce are:

Milk has a buffering effect. That means, upon the addition of milk to a solution, the concentration of free ions in this solution is reduced. Milk proteins contain amino acids, which are able to bind to OH and H+ ions.

As a consequence, a solution that contains milk proteins is less affected by the presence of acidic or alkaline components. The acidity of the tomato spaghetti sauce can be reduced by the addition of milk or other dairy products (1).

Tomato sauce contains a high amount of organic acids, which characterize it as being an acidic product and not suitable for the consumption by individuals suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (2). Adding milk to the tomato sauce can reduce its acidity and favor these individuals.

Milk also contains many nutrients, including high valuable amino acids with bioactive properties that favor growth and the immune system, minerals, such as calcium and magnesium, which are important to the bone formation and health, and vitamins, including vitamin A, B1, B2, D and K (4).

What are the drawbacks of adding milk to your spaghetti sauce?

The drawbacks of adding milk to your spaghetti sauce are:

As mentioned previously in this article, milk has a buffering effect and can trap ions from the solution. This can reduce the flavor of the tomato spaghetti sauce. The flavor of tomato and of tomato sauce is a result of the components in the tomato, including sugars, volatiles and acids (3).

About 15% of the dry matter of the tomato is composed of organic acid, including citric, glutamic and malic acid, which characterize the favor of tomato sauce. Milk will definitively mask this flavor.

Another drawback is that milk is not consumed by vegans. The addition of milk to spaghetti sauce will hinder vegans from eating the sauce (5).

What are some spaghetti sauce recipes with milk?

Cream of tomato sauce 

Ingredients (6, adapted)

– ½ liter of milk

– 1 or 2 tablespoons flour

– 1 cup of tomato juice

– Salt and spices, according to your personal preferences

– Fresh herbs

Preparation: In a saucepan mix all the ingredients, bring to medium heat, stirring constantly until boiling, remove from the heat and add fresh herbs.

Cheese and milk sauce with broccoli

Ingredients:

– ½ glass of milk

– 5 oz of chopped cheddar cheese

– 1 tablespoon of cornstarch

– 1 teaspoon of hot sauce (optional)

– 1 cup of cut previously boiled broccoli

Preparation: In a saucepan, mix the milk, grated cheese, cornstarch, cook, when it boils, remove from the heat, add the hot sauce and the boiled cut broccoli florets.

Other FAQs about Milk which you may be interested in.

Can you Freeze Coconut Milk?

What happens if you drink expired milk?

Why does my coconut milk look curdled?

Does Microwaving Milk Destroy Nutrients

Conclusions

In this article, we answered the question “can I add milk to my spaghetti sauce?” and discussed the benefits and drawbacks of adding milk to spaghetti sauce and gave you recipes of spaghetti sauce with milk.

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References

1.-

Al-Dabbas MM, Al-Ismail K, Al-Abdullah BM. Effect of chemical composition on the buffering capacity of selected dairy products. Jordan. J. Agric. Sci. 2011 Dec 1;7:690-700.

2.-

Salehi B, Sharifi-Rad R, Sharopov F, Namiesnik J, Roointan A, Kamle M, Kumar P, Martins N, Sharifi-Rad J. Beneficial effects and potential risks of tomato consumption for human health: An overview. Nutrition. 2019 Jun 1;62:201-8.

3.-

Yilmaz E. The chemistry of fresh tomato flavor. Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry. 2001;25(3):149-55.

4.-

Pereira PC. Milk nutritional composition and its role in human health. Nutrition. 2014 Jun 1;30(6):619-27.

5.-

Weaver CM. Should dairy be recommended as part of a healthy vegetarian diet?. J Clin Nutr. 2009;89:1634S-7S.

6.-

Milk Master Mix & Magic White Sauce. NDSU Extension Service, North Dakota State University, 2005.