Tomato Pasta recipe (Quick & easy) | Pasta recipes | Easy dinner recipe

Tomato pasta recipe with step by step photos. Are you looking for a quick dinner recipe? Then this recipe is just for you.

If you have fresh tomatoes & pasta in your kitchen pantry then you can make a quick dinner within 30 minutes.

Here I am sharing a basic tomato sauce recipe. You can customize this fresh tomato pasta sauce recipe as per your liking.

I have used fresh tomatoes but you can also use canned tomatoes for making pasta sauce.

You can skip adding red chili flakes if you prefer less spicy. Just spice up the sauce with black pepper, salt & oregano.

If you like this recipe, you may be interested in these other quick dinner recipes:

• Egg fried rice
• Quick chicken biryani
• Veg fried rice

Here's why this recipe works

• This recipe includes tips on how to cook pasta perfectly.
• You can make variations with this recipe.
• Step by step photos of making the tomato pasta included.

What can I add to tomato pasta

• If you have vegetables (like carrots or capsicum) in hand then saute some finely chopped garlic in olive oil. Then add the chopped vegetables & saute for 3-4 minutes on high flame. Stir in the sauce. Cook for 2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta & toss it until combined.
• Saute the mushrooms separately & add it to the sauce. Then toss it with the pasta.
• You can add some boiled peas.
• You can also make a variation by adding chicken or sausage. The chicken should be partially cooked before you add it to the sauce. Further cooking is done in the sauce. Then toss it with pasta.
• Add some herbs & finely grated Parmesan cheese to finish the tomato pasta.

How to make fresh tomato pasta

Making the fresh tomato sauce:

1. Wash the tomatoes under running water. Remove the stem & the seeds. Roughly chop the fresh tomatoes & grind it. (pic 1)
2. Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium flame.
3. Add onions & sauté until translucent. (pic 2)
4. Next, add the garlic cloves & saute it for 2 minutes. (pic 3)
5. Stir in the fresh tomatoes. Bring it to a boil. (pic 4)
6. Add salt, ground black pepper, oregano, red chili flakes & sugar. Mix it well. (pic 5)
7. Continue cooking for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. (pic 6)
8. Add basil leaves & simmer (cook on low flame). (pic 7 & 8)                   

Cooking the pasta

1. Meanwhile, heat a large pan or pot with ⅔ full of water over high heat. (pic 1)
2. Cover the pot & bring the water to a boil.
3. Stir in salt to the boiling water. (pic 1)
4. Add pasta & cook, stirring occasionally. (pic 2)
5. Cook it as per the recommended cooking time on the package.
6. Cook the pasta until al-dente. The cooked pasta should not be soft or mushy. It must have a bite in it. (pic 3)
7. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water & drain the pasta.
8. Add ½ cup cooking pasta water to the tomato sauce. (pic 6)
9. Add the drained pasta straight to the sauce. Toss it well so that the sauce coats the pasta. (pic 7 & 8)
10. Finish it with some butter/olive oil, parsley, and parmesan cheese. (pic 9, 10 & 11)
11. If you find it is difficult to toss or the sauce is thick then add some more cooking water that you reserved to it & toss.
12. Serve hot. (pic 12)
13. While serving the tomato pasta pour some olive oil over it & garnish with parsley & parmesan cheese.

Cooking Tips

1. Use a large utensil/pot to cook the pasta. There should be enough space for the pasta to move around while it is cooking. It will cook consistently.
2. Stir the pasta occasionally while it is cooking. It prevents the pasta from sticking together while cooking.
3. Use enough salt for cooking pasta. When the water comes to a boil, add salt. The water must taste like seawater. It brings the best flavor in pasta.
4. Add the pasta to water only when the water is boiling. Do not add the pasta at the beginning or when the water is just warm.
5. Cook the pasta as per the recommended time on the package. Like if the recommended time is 8-10 minutes. Then check the pasta after 8 minutes. It should be cooked until al-dente. There should be a bite in pasta.
6. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water from pasta before you drain it. Use this water to cook pasta with sauce. It enhances the flavor of the entire dish. It makes the sauce stick nicely to pasta.
7. Do not add olive oil (or any oil) or pour cold water over the pasta. Oil creates a barrier between pasta & sauce. The pasta will not get coated well with the sauce if you put oil on pasta. Similarly, if you put cold water over pasta it will remove all its starches. The starch helps to bind the sauce with pasta.
8. The sauce should be warm & ready before you add pasta to it. Pasta should never wait for the sauce. The moment you drain the pasta, add it immediately to the sauce. This tip is given by an experienced chef to me 🙂

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Recipe Card

Tomato Pasta recipe (Quick & easy) | Pasta recipes | Easy dinner recipe

Easy tomato pasta for quick dinner recipe that can be made within 30 minutes.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 people

Calories: 132kcal

Author: Preeti Nayak

Ingredients

• ▢ 500 grams fresh tomatoes
• ▢ 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ¼ cup finely chopped onion or 1 small onion, chopped
• ▢ 6 cloves garlic finely chopped
• ▢ 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
• ▢ 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh basil
• ▢ salt to taste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ 2 teaspoon sugar check notes or use a small carrot
• ▢ 200 grams pasta (any shape)

Instructions

To make fresh tomato sauce

• Wash the tomatoes under running water. Remove the stem & the seeds. Roughly chop the fresh tomatoes & grind it.
• Heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat.
• Add onions & stir-fry until translucent.
• Next, add the garlic cloves & saute it for 2 minutes.
• Stir in the tomato puree. Bring it to a boil.
• Add salt, ground black pepper, oregano, red chili flakes & sugar. Mix it well.
• Continue cooking for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add basil leaves & simmer.
• Heat a large pan or pot with ⅔ full of water over high heat.
• Cover the pot & bring the water to a boil.
• Stir in salt to the boiling water.
• Add pasta & cook, stirring occasionally.
• Cook it as per the recommended cooking time on the package.
• Meanwhile, heat up the marinara sauce over medium flame in another pan. Heat the sauce, 3-4 minutes before, you drain the pasta.
• Cook the pasta until al-dente. The cooked pasta should not be soft or mushy. It must have a bite in it. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water& drain it.
• Add ½ cup cooking pasta water to the tomato sauce.
• Add the drained pasta straight to the sauce. Toss it well so that the sauce coats the pasta.
• Finish it with some butter/olive oil, parsley, and parmesan cheese.
• If you find it is difficult to toss the pasta then add some more cooking water that you reserved to it & toss.
• Serve the tomato pasta.

Notes

1. Add the reserved cooking water as required to the pasta while tossing it.
2. Follow the cooking tips mentioned in the post.
3. Add vegetables or meat, for variation.
4. You can also use canned or jarred tomatoes.

Nutrition

Calories: 132kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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