What Can I Cook With Pasta and Tomatoes?

Pasta and tomatoes is the smallest complete meal in Italian cooking. Fresh tomatoes make a light, bright sauce in 15 minutes; tinned tomatoes make a deeper one in 30. Both need only oil, salt and one aromatic.

Tomatoes are acidic and pasta is starchy-sweet — the two balance each other. A pinch of sugar isn't the fix for harsh tomato sauce; time and fat are. Twenty minutes of simmering with olive oil rounds off the acidity on its own.

Dishes you can make

• Pasta al pomodoro — Tinned San Marzano, garlic, olive oil, basil at the end. Twenty minutes, nothing else.
• Fresh cherry tomato pasta — Burst them in a hot pan until they collapse — the sauce makes itself.
• Arrabbiata — Chilli bloomed in the oil first, not sprinkled in later.
• Baked tomato pasta — Roast tomatoes with garlic until jammy, then crush into cooked pasta.
• Cold tomato pasta salad — Marinate raw chopped tomatoes in salt and oil for 30 minutes first — they release their own dressing.

Tips that actually matter

• Crush whole tinned tomatoes by hand rather than buying chopped; the texture is better and there's no added acidity regulator.
• Finish the pasta in the sauce for the last 60 seconds, always.
• Add basil off the heat — cooked basil turns bitter and black.

Frequently asked questions

Fresh or tinned tomatoes for pasta sauce?

Tinned for a cooked sauce year-round; fresh only when they're genuinely ripe and in season.

Why is my tomato sauce bitter?

Usually burnt garlic or overcooked tomato paste. Both scorch in under a minute at high heat.

How do I make it more filling?

Add any protein or a handful of white beans, and finish with cheese or a good olive oil.

Related guides

• ground beef and pasta
• chicken and pasta
• pasta and cheese

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