Simple Tomato Pasta

This is the sauce worth knowing by heart, because the ingredients live in the cupboard rather than the fridge: tinned tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and a little patience on the heat. Fresh basil and parmesan make it better, but the recipe stands up perfectly well without either — which is exactly why it rescues so many weeknights.

Prep: 5 minutes · Cook: 20 minutes · Total: 25 minutes · Serves 4

Equipment

• Large saucepan
• Frying pan or second saucepan
• Colander

Ingredients

• 400g pasta (spaghetti or penne)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp sugar
• Salt and black pepper
• A handful of fresh basil leaves, torn (optional)
• Grated parmesan, to serve (optional)

Instructions

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.
2. Meanwhile, warm the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and chilli flakes (if using) and cook gently for about 1 minute, until fragrant but not browned.
3. Add the tinned tomatoes and sugar. Season with salt and pepper, then simmer for 15–18 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
4. Drain the pasta, reserving a cup of the pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss, loosening with a splash of the reserved water if needed.
5. Stir through the basil, if using, and serve with grated parmesan.

Tips

• Don't let the garlic brown — it turns bitter in seconds and there is no rescuing it.
• A pinch of sugar balances the acidity of tinned tomatoes; taste before you add more.
• Save pasta water before draining. The starch in it is what makes the sauce cling instead of sliding off.

Substitutions

• Use any short or long pasta shape you have.
• Stir in a tin of drained chickpeas or white beans for extra protein.
• Leave out the parmesan, or use a vegetarian hard cheese, to keep it fully vegetarian.

Storage

Refrigerate the sauce (separately from cooked pasta, if possible) for up to 3 days, or freeze the sauce alone for up to 3 months. Reheat until piping hot.

Food safety

Cool leftover sauce quickly in a shallow container and get it into the fridge within two hours. Reheat once only, and bring it to a full simmer rather than just warming it through.

Allergens as written

• Wheat (pasta)
• Milk (parmesan, if used)

Nutrition estimate

• Calories: Roughly 430 kcal per serving (estimate, based on 4 servings, before cheese)
• Protein: Roughly 13g
• Carbohydrates: Roughly 75g
• Fat: Roughly 10g

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