It the time to bring real Italian flavor to your dining table, even on the busy weeknights! This penne Pomodoro pasta is tangy, savory with the rich aroma of fresh tomatoes, basil and olive oil. The sauce is mild, and light makes the dish tastes delicious.
This penne podomoro is vegan and skinny, not loaded with cheese like other usual pasta recipes. Makes it worth trying, even if you are not vegan.
This post of penne Pomodoro pasta is one of the follow-up series of my vegan pasta recipes, which is most prevalent in our blog. Most of these are made with commonly available ingredients and most requires less than 30 minutes of cooking, with minimal prepping work.
If you are looking for an easy and simple pasta dish, this 5 ingredient pasta recipe is yours. The intense flavors make you get addicted to this pasta Pomodoro dish, and make you start craving for it.
What is penne Pomodoro pasta?
This Italian vegan pasta is a main course dish, usually made with commonly available fresh ingredients like tomato, basil. Which is also otherwise called Pasta al Pomodoro. Wikipedia says
“ It is intended to be a quick light dish, rather than a dish in a heavy sauce.”
In between the lines, we can read that the Pomodoro sauce is simple, mild, comfort food possible on the long tiresome days.
How do you make a vegan version of a Pomodoro pasta?
The recipe I shared here is naturally vegan. We have not added any form of cheese in here. I find this way, tomato sauce’s flavors are more robust and natural. If you want to stay vegan and still prefers cheesy flavors, add in a teaspoon of nutritional yeast. Adding this vegan cheese or nutritional yeast will not disappoint you without compromising with the taste or fragrance of penne Pomodoro.
How many cups of water should I put in 1 cup of pasta?
There is no strict rule for cooking the pasta. But 3-4 cups would be the ideal suggestion for cooking the pasta. All you have to make sure that the pasta should be submerged in the water while cooking. My suggestion would keep the water level to a minimum of 2 inches above the pasta.
Best Side dishes penne Pomodoro
If you are searching for protein-rich meat side dishes, the following would be perfect for serving with, Lemon Grilled chicken, Lime chicken recipe, Garlic pepper Shrimp, Cedar plank grilled salmon, pan-fried garlic chicken.
If you are thinking for the vegan and skinny version of side dishes, these would be working fine. tofu steak recipe, Hassel back potatoes, Fresco salad.
The Key ingredients 5 Ingredient pasta
Pasta– I prefer making my dinner healthy and choose whole wheat pasta or multigrain pasta(which is high in fiber than that regular white pasta). Choose gluten-free pasta if you have dietary restrictions.
Convert this penne Pomodoro to the low-carb dish by substituting pasta with the store-bought readymade low carb pasta.
Tomato– Fresh tomatoes are great to use for this Italian recipe. Roma tomato or plum tomato is perfect for making this penne Pomodoro recipe. Roma tomatoes add a rich tangy taste, and ideal sauce texture can be achieved with the plum tomatoes. Alternatively, you can also use the canned diced tomatoes.
Olive Oil– For me, olive oil and the pasta is inseparable. I find olive oil makes the pasta more authentic and delicious.
Basil– Fresh basil is the flavor store for this vegan penne pasta recipe. A small quantity makes the pasta warm and comfort.
Cooking tips
- I wanted my penne Pomodoro sauce to be chunky, and I chose to mash the tomatoes in the pan. But you can pulse it in the blender for few seconds for a smooth texture.
- Add a teaspoon of olive oil at the time of cooking, makes it nonsticky and stay fresh for a longer time.
- Ensure the tomatoes are fresh and ripe – Since this is summer and farmers markets are loaded with fresh produce at nominal rates. Support the local farmers. On the other hand, you can also have a personal talk with them about the chemicals used for growing their vegetables.
- Stir- This is the main mantra while cooking the chunky sauce as it will get stick to the bottom of the pan very quickly. To provide proper care and stir them occasionally.
- Use a big pot to make the sauce, as sauce would splutter while cooking.
How to make Penne Pomodoro
Cook the Pasta– Cook it according to the package instructions. It usually takes 12-14minutes for the pasta to cook. When it is done al dente, drain the water and set aside(we need at the final stages of cooking).
Make the tomato sauce– In a pan, add roughly chopped onion, tomato, and garlic. And bring it to boil. Cook until they are fork-tender. Then transfer to the blender and grind it to a smooth paste. And keep aside.
Combine– In a pan, add olive oil followed by the sauce. Simmer and cook until it thickens. Then add cooked pasta. Combine them gently and sprinkle fresh basil. And serve hot.
Penne Pomodoro recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup pasta
- 4 tomato
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 basil leaves fresh
- 2 tsp salt
Instructions
- In a pan add water and bring it to boil.
- Add pasta and cook it according to the package instructions.
- Strain the pasta to a bowl and set aside.
- Slit tomatoes at the bottom with the mark X.
- In the same pan and in the same boiling water, add the tomatoes.
- Cook it for 8 minutes or until the skin started to peel off.
- Strain and peel off the tomatoes and remove the core once you can manage to handle the heat.
- Mash it with the potato mashes or run it in the blender to smooth consistency.
- In a pan, add olive oil and the tomato sauce.
- Add salt and cook until it thickens.
- Add pasta and sprinkle basil leaves.
- Serve hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Chitz
Yummy and easy for a busy weekday dinner 🙂
Sujatha Muralidhar
Thank you Chitz!
Brian
Delicious and yummy!! Great pics