Penne Pomodoro - Italian Tomato Pasta

Penne pomodoro in a plate topped with fresh basil

Penne Pomodoro - Italian Tomato Pasta

Indulge in the authentic flavors of Italy with this Penne Pomodoro recipe. Made with simple ingredients, this dish embodies the essence of traditional Italian cooking. Get ready to savor the rich tomato sauce clinging to perfectly cooked penne in just a few easy steps!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Servings people

Calories 447kcal

Author Pina Bresciani

Ingredients

250g penne pasta lisce or rigate (smooth or ridged)
2 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoon yellow onion (or white) chopped
2 cups crushed strained tomatoes (passata)
fresh basil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and drop the penne in. Cook until it's before al dente (about 2-3 minutes before it's done cooking, remove it from the pot and place it into the sauce – it will finish cooking in the sauce)
While the water is boiling/pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and sautee until sizzling, about 3 minutes.
Add the passata, along with salt and pepper. Add in basil.
Let the sauce cook until thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Adjust for salt and pepper.
Add the penne to the pan, along with a bit of pasta water.
Continue to cook the pasta in the pan until the pasta water is absorbed and it is al dente. If it needs more time to cook, add more pasta water.
Toss in more fresh hand-torn basil. Toss once more.
Plate and top with grated parmigiano reggiano if desired.

Video

Notes

Cook the penne pasta until it's just slightly undercooked, about 2-3 minutes less than the package instructions, as it will finish cooking in the sauce later. This ensures your pasta remains perfectly al dente.

When sautéing the onion in olive oil, make sure not to let it brown or burn. It should turn fragrant and sizzle, releasing its flavor into the oil without becoming overly crispy.

Allow the passata to simmer and thicken for about 10 minutes. This reduces the sauce, intensifying the tomato flavor and ensuring it clings to the pasta beautifully.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper gradually. You can always add more later, but it's challenging to correct an overly salty dish.

Reserve a small amount of pasta water before draining the penne. This starchy liquid can be added to the sauce if needed to adjust the consistency and enhance the flavor.

Toss in more fresh hand-torn basil at the end, just before serving. This not only brightens up the dish but also adds a burst of aromatic freshness.

If choosing penne lisce (smooth penne with no ridges), as opposed to penne rigate (with ridges) ensure they are bronze die extruded. This rough texture helps the sauce adhere better to the pasta, enhancing each bite.

Garlic or onion can be used interchangeably in this dish. The traditional Italian way to use garlic in this dish is to sautee the garlic cloves whole, and take them out once they've flavored the oil. If you're a garlic enthusiast, mince the garlic cloves instead of removing them after infusing the oil. This will intensify the garlic flavor in the dish.

Nutrition