Pasta In Red Sauce | Red Sauce Pasta Recipe

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Pasta in red sauce as the name suggests is a delicious pasta tossed in homemade tomato-based flavourful sauce.

The dish itself is vegan, beginner-friendly and a kid’s favourite.

Making red sauce pasta is super easy and made with basic ingredients.

About Pasta in red sauce

Pasta is a family favourite and we love to include it in our meals at least once every month.

This red sauce pasta is one of the most common versions that we love as it’s so easy peasy recipe that you do not need too many ingredients to make it.

Made with blanched tomatoes, onions, Italian herbs and lots of garlic this pasta turns out fabulous and is loved by kids and grown-ups.

To make this pasta, I always prefer penne pasta as it holds the shape well.

I made the red sauce from scratch using fresh tomatoes. However, you can use canned tomatoes here which gives nice vibrant red colour.

If you are new to making pasta and want to try one, you should definitely start with this red sauce pasta as it is a no-fail easy recipe to begin with.

Sometimes we add veggies like mushrooms, corn and bell peppers in making this paste in red sauce which enhances the flavours of this dish.

This vegetarian delight is tangy, sweet and spicy at the same time. Serve with garlic bread and it makes a perfect meal by itself.

The main thing that I love about making this pasta is that it’s highly customizable and so versatile that you can easily tweak it and have so many options to make it more healthy and tasty.

To make this pasta, I have used dried herbs as fresh herbs are not available easily here. But if you can get the fresh herbs then nothing like that.

This classic pasta recipe comes together in around 45 minutes. To make it for quick meals, I normally prep the sauce or boil the pasta ahead of time and then on busy weeknights just toss them together making a perfectly satisfying meal for the whole family.

You can also pack this pasta for kids tiffin along with some sandwiches making it a filling meal.

lngredients

Pasta – I have used penne pasta here but you can use any kind of pasta depending on your choice.

Tomatoes – To make the red sauce I have used fresh tomatoes that I blanched in water for about 15 minutes. Removed the skin and then blended it to a fine paste. You can add canned tomatoes too for making this sauce.

Vegetables – I have used only onions in making this recipe. You can have vegetables of your choice. The best ones are mushrooms, baby corn, bell peppers.

Herbs – I have used dried Italian mixed herbs. If you can get your hand on fresh ones (oregano, thyme, basil) then do use them.

Seasonings – I have seasoned this pasta with salt, crushed black pepper and half a teaspoon of sugar. Sugar is optional, but adding it helps balance the tartness of the tomatoes.

Oil – Olive Oil gives a perfect taste to pasta recipes.

Water – To cook pasta.

Variations

You can add a variety of vegetables of your choice here to enhance the flavour and nutrition of this pasta.

Some best veggies include mushrooms, sweet corn, baby corn, and bell peppers.

If you are looking for a non-vegetarian option, then you can add thinly sliced chicken pieces or shrimp.

Serving Suggestions

This red sauce pasta pairs best with garlic bread by the side.

You can also serve it with soup.

The dish itself is vegan, you can grate some cheese on top while serving making it vegetarian.

Storage option

The cooked pasta can stay good for 3-4 days. Store it in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Reheat before serving.

If the pasta is a bit dry, add some water to it while reheating. You can reheat it in the microwave or in a pan.

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Step-by-Step Pasta In Red Sauce

How to Make Pasta In Red Sauce

Let’s prep the tomatoes

• Make a criss-cross mark on the tomatoes so that peeling the skin becomes much easier.

• Boil tomatoes in enough water for about 15 minutes till the tomatoes are cooked and the skin peels off easily.

• Let the tomatoes cool, peel off the skin and blend it to a paste without adding water.

Let’s prep the pasta.

• In a big vessel add 5 cups water and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bring this water to a boil.

• Add 2 cups of penne pasta (use any pasta of your choice). Cook Pasta for 5-6 minutes.

• Drain the water and remove the pasta in a bowl or plate. Keep half a cup of pasta water aside for later.

• Drizzle a teaspoon of oil over the pasta. This helps pasta not stick to each other.

• In a saucepan heat oil, add chopped garlic and saute for a minute.

• Add finely chopped onions and saute till translucent.

• Add tomato puree.

• Cover & cook for 3 minutes.

• Add red chilli flakes, mixed Italian herbs and crushed black pepper.

• Mix all the ingredients well.

• Add tomato ketchup and mix.

• Add sugar and salt to taste. (Adding sugar balances the tartness of tomatoes used in this dish).

• Add boiled pasta.

• Mix, and add half a cup of pasta water.

• Cover and let the pasta simmer for another 2-3 minutes.

• Pasta in red sauce is ready.

• Transfer onto a serving plate.

• Garnish with cheese and serve immediately.

Note:

I have used penne pasta here, you can use any pasta of your choice.

I have used dried herbs here, if you can get fresh ones do go ahead using fresh herbs instead.

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