Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
5 mins
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Cook Time
15 mins
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Total Time
20 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
546 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
American
Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
Description
Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce combines tomato passata, heavy cream, and milk into a luscious sauce enriched with butter, garlic, and onion. The sauce simmers briefly to meld flavors before parmesan cheese melts in, creating a smooth texture that coats the pasta without being watery. Simmering helps thicken the sauce, with reserved pasta water adjustable to tonal thickness. Herbs and chicken stock powder add a subtle herbaceous and savory note, enhancing the sauce's complexity without overpowering the gentle creaminess.
This pasta is served immediately after tossing the sauce with spaghetti, allowing the sauce to cling nicely and the flavors to remain fresh. It can be customized with proteins like shrimp or chicken, or vegetables such as mushrooms or zucchini, added mid-cooking to blend seamlessly. The recipe offers practical substitutions for tomato passata and cream, accommodating different ingredient availability or preference while keeping the sauce's core creaminess.
To enrich the sauce further, extra butter can be mixed in, and delicate greens like spinach can be stirred through just before serving for freshness. The sauce's thickness largely depends on the passata used; cooking down crushed or diced tomatoes prior to adding dairy is advised to achieve proper consistency. Avoid pre-grated parmesan as it may not melt correctly and affect the sauce texture.
Ingredients
- 300g/10 oz spaghetti
- 2 tbsp / 30g butter unsalted
- 3 garlic minced, cloves
- ½ onion , finely chopped
- 1 cup / 250 ml tomato passata / tomato puree (Note 1)
- 3/4 cup / 185 ml heavy cream Note 2 for subs, thickened cream
- 1/2 cup / 125 ml milk , low fat
- 3/4 cup / 30g parmesan , finely freshly grated (Note 3)
- 1 tsp basil dried, or other herb of choice
- 1 tsp chicken stock powder or 1 bouillon cube, crumbled (Note 4, or vegetable stock powder
- black pepper finely ground
- salt finely ground
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a big pot of boiling water for time per packet MINUS 2 minutes. Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of pasta cooking water.
- Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, cook until translucent - about 2 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients. Stir until parmesan is melted. Turn heat up slightly and simmer for 2 minutes. Adjust salt to taste.
- Add pasta. Toss for 1 to 2 minutes or until sauce thickens and is clinging to pasta instead of swimming on the base of the skillet (video shows this well). Use reserved pasta cooking water if required to thin the sauce out if it gets too thick.
- Serve immediately, garnished with more parmesan and parsley if desired.
Notes
- Tomato passata is pure tomato puree with no additives; it creates a smooth sauce base differing from tomato paste which is more concentrated.
- Substitute American canned tomato sauce or homemade favorite pasta sauce if passata is unavailable; crushed or diced tomatoes need cooking down before adding cream.
- Use real parmesan cheese freshly grated for proper melting; store-bought pre-grated cheese may not melt smoothly.
- Add-ins like shrimp, bacon, chicken, or vegetables can be incorporated during cooking; cook proteins first and add them back with pasta.
- Adjust sauce thickness using reserved pasta water as needed when tossing pasta in sauce.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 546 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 284g | |
| Calories | 546cal | 27% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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