Penne Pomodoro

Penne pomorodoro is an easy Italian dish made with penne pasta coated in a simple homemade tomato sauce. Like spaghetti alla nerano, it is a light pasta dish, and one the whole family loves. It is perfect for both warm summer evenings and cold winter nights.

Jump to:

• Why we love this recipe
• Ingredients Notes
• How to make this Italian tomato pasta
• FAQ
• My recipe tips
• Serving Ideas
• Storage/Freezing
• Other Italian Recipes you may like
• Penne Pomodoro

Why we love this recipe

• Veggies blended into the sauce – making is a great dish for picky eaters.
• Ideal recipe for meal prep – the tomato sauce can be made ahead and kept in the fridge or frozen.
• The recipe uses only a handful of ingredients, and they are mostly store cupboard ingredients.
• The sauce is vegetarian, vegan and gluten free – which makes this dish such a useful one for family members on different diets. Serve with gluten free pasta for a gluten free dinner, and don’t top with parmesan cheese for a vegan dinner.

Ingredients Notes

• Penne pasta – as the name suggests, I make this recipe with penne pasta, however you can use any other dried pasta shape you like: rigatoni, rotini, pasta shells and bows. Pasta al pomodoro is traditionally made with spaghetti, but like my one pot tomato pasta, I often use penne pasta..
• Tomatoes – I use whole, tinned/canned tomatoes. Try not to use chopped tinned tomatoes – the whole tinned tomatoes do taste better, and as this simple tomato sauce doesn’t have many ingredients, you want each ingredient to bring as much flavour to the table as it can.
• Olive oil – use a good olive oil. It may seem like there’s a lot of oil in this recipe, but the olive oil is a key ingredient to making the tomato sauce more flavourful.
• Salt – another ingredient to make the best tomato sauce, packed with flavour.
• Garlic – fresh garlic.
• Brown onion – you could also use a sweeter milder red onion if you prefer.
• Basil – in this recipe I use the basil stalks as well as the basil leaves. They are packed with basil flavour, and simmering them in the sauce gets the most out of your bunch of basil. Don’t substitute dried basil.

How to make this Italian tomato pasta

(These images are to help you, for the full detailed recipe please see the recipe card at the bottom of the page.)

1. Cook the onion in the olive oil over a medium heat…
2. …until soft and translucent.
3. Add the crushed garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.
4. Tip in the canned/tinned whole tomatoes.
5. Break the tomatoes down with a spoon and add the salt and basil.
6. Cook until thick.
7. With a stick blender, blend until smooth.
8. Stir in the cooked penne and fresh basil.
9. Mix until the pasta is thoroughly coated in the tomato sauce.

FAQ

My recipe tips

• Keep a little of the pasta water when you drain the pasta – this starchy water will help make the pasta and tomato sauce creamy and thick.
• To make it vegetarian pomodoro pasta – don’t top with the parmesan or check it is vegetarian.
• If you are wanting a vegan tomato pasta – don’t top with parmesan or use a vegan alternative.
• You could use passata instead of tinned tomatoes.

Serving Ideas

• Serve with a simple green side salad, or this parmesan and walnut salad.
• Add some diced pancetta and cook with the onions.
• Stir in some cooked roasted veggies.
• Finish the meal with an Italian dessert: torta caprese for a chocolate hit, or Apricot jam tart

Storage/Freezing

• You can cook the sauce ahead and blend, then keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight.

Other Italian Recipes you may like