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An image of red sauce pasta on a plate.

Red Sauce Pasta

A wholesome red sauce pasta made with fresh veggies and a flavourful tomato base, is perfect for fuelling workouts or aiding recovery.
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Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings2 people
CourseMain Course
CuisineItalian
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

For boiling pasta
  • ¾ cup / 90 g pasta, penne or fusilli
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 tsp salt
For tomato puree
  • 230 g / 3 tomatoes, (large), large chunks
For red sauce
  • 1 ½ tbsp oil
  • ½ tsp / 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 30 g / 1 onion, (small), finely chopped
  • 1 ½ tbsp / 15 g green capsicum, finely chopped
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • ¼ tsp red chilli powder
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ tsp oregano seasoning
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
For making red sauce pasta
  • Prepared sauce
  • Boiled pasta
  • Reserved pasta water

Method
 

Boiling pasta
  1. Bring the water to a boil.
  2. Add salt and pasta to the water. Cook until al dente (soft yet firm to bite).
  3. Drain and set aside, reserving ½ cup of water to use later for the recipe.
Making tomato puree
  1. Place the tomatoes in the grinder jar.
  2. Blend until you get a puree without chunks.
  3. Take out in a bowl and keep aside for making the sauce.
  4. You will get around 1 cup of tomato puree.
Making red sauce
  1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Add garlic and saute on a medium flame until fragrant.
  2. Add onions and saute for a minute.
  3. Toss in capsicum and cook until onions and capsicum turn soft.
  4. Stir in the tomato puree. Cook until the sauce thickens and the oil separates.
  5. Add red chilli powder, salt, oregano seasoning, and sugar. Mix well and cook until the sugar melts.
  6. Mix in tomato ketchup and cook for a minute.
  7. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning accordingly.
Combining pasta and sauce
  1. Add the boiled pasta and 2-3 tbsp of reserved pasta water to the prepared sauce. Toss gently.
  2. Cook for 2-3 minutes, ensuring the pasta is evenly coated with sauce.
  3. Serve hot with toasted bread.

Notes

  • Always cook pasta al dente; overcooked pasta turns mushy when cooked with sauce.
  • You can blanch the tomatoes before making puree. 
  • Mix in crumbled paneer or tofu along with the pasta to boost the protein content of the recipe.
  • Add any vegetable of your choice, like mushrooms, broccoli, and corn, to make it more colourful and nutritious.
  • Add the vegetables while adding capsicum to the sauce. Ensure the vegetables are soft before adding pasta.
  • Adjust the sugar in the sauce depending on the sourness of the tomatoes.