This quick-fix recipe is perfect for those nights when you’re craving comfort in the guise of a creamy tomato pasta but don’t have the time or patience to stand by a stove for it to simmer longer than a few minutes. As far as recipes go, this one is also a bit of a pantry raid, requiring nothing more than a few of your store-cupboard staples to whip out a dish that is impressive enough to serve those unexpected guests! And before you ask, yes, Amul cream will work nicely!
Tips for Making The Creamiest Tomato Pasta Ever!
- Mise en place: make sure all your ingredients are prepped and ready as this recipe is a quick one! You don’t want your onions and garlic to burn while you’re measuring out the cream or chilli flakes.
- Pasta water: don’t forget to reserve about half a cup of the pasta water before draining the cooked pasta. This starchy pasta water is essential for balancing the creaminess of the pasta sauce. You could also substitute the pasta water for vodka if you so wish.
- Season well: chilli flakes, a good crack of black pepper, a sprinkle of herbs and boatloads of parmesan cheese add shades of heat and flavour to complement the sauce.
Creamy Tomato Pasta
This quick-fix recipe is perfect for those nights when you’re craving comfort in the guise of a creamy tomato pasta but don’t have the time or patience to stand by a stove for it to simmer longer than a few minutes.
Ingredients
- 125 – 140 gm dried pasta of choice (Rigatoni or penne works well)
- Glug of olive oil
- ½ – ¾ onion, finely chopped
- 2 – 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp chilli flakes
- ½ cup heavy cream (regular Amul cream will do too)
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
- crack of black pepper
- salt for seasoning
- ½ tsp paprika (optional)
- ¼ cup parmesan, grated
- truffle oil (optional; to finish)
- fresh basil or hebs, torn (optional; for garnish)
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted boiling water to boil; add your pasta of choice and cook until the pasta is just shy of al dente. Reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water before draining the pasta. Set both the pasta and pasta water aside.
- Heat a large skillet (medium heat). Add a good glug of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onions first, sautéing until translucent. Add the garlic next and sauté until fragrant.
- Next, add the tomato paste and stir it with onions and garlic so that it starts to caramelise. Then add a good splash of the reserved pasta water (or vodka!) along with the red chilli flakes and a dash of paprika.
- Once the sauce starts to thin down, add the cream and let the sauce simmer before seasoning with salt and a hefty crack of black pepper.
- Add the pasta along with another splash of pasta water; use your judgement to gauge how much pasta water you will require, adding less pasta water if you’d like it more creamy or a bit more pasta water if you’d like to thin down the sauce further.
- Toss the pasta with the sauce so that it continues cooking and is generously coated through with that craveably creamy sauce!
Liked This Recipe?
You may also like to browse…
We’d love to hear from you! Do let us know if you try this recipe – you can leave a comment below and/ or tag us in your delicious creations on Instagram @the_foodiediaries.
Latest Instagram Posts
Browse More Recipes
Get the latest reviews, recipes & recommendations, delivered straight to your inbox:
Processing…
Success! You're on the list.
Whoops! There was an error and we couldn't process your subscription. Please reload the page and try again.
Love that it’s healthy, hearty and oh so yummy 😍😍
Indeed!