Creamy Tomato Pasta (No Cream)

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 35

Total Time: 45

Calories: 890kcal

Servings: People

Metric - Imperial

Ingredients

Sauce

30 ml Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 Garlic Cloves Sliced
10 g Basil Stems (Optional)
16 g Tomato Paste
250 g Tomatoes Halved
150 g Cherry Tomatoes Halved
400 g Crushed or Diced Tomatoes Canned
Chilli Flakes (Optional)
10 g Basil Leaves Torn
125 ml Olive Oil For Blending

Pasta

300 g Rigatoni
125 ml Pasta Water Reserved
30 g Unsalted Butter Cubed
50 g Parmigiano Reggiano Grated
Basil Leaves Garnish
Parmigiano Reggiano Garnish

Method

Heat the 2 Tbsp olive oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and basil stems and infuse for 2 minutes, until fragrant and the garlic has not coloured. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute, until it darkens to a brick red.
Add the Roma tomatoes cut-side down and cook for 3 minutes until they start to soften. Add the cherry tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, chilli flakes, salt and torn basil. Simmer gently for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have collapsed and the sauce has thickened. Remove the basil stems.
Let the sauce cool for 5 minutes. Blend it in two batches (if needed) with the ½ cup olive oil, adding half the oil to each batch. Leave the lid vent open under a folded towel and blend for about 60 seconds, until it turns pale orange and creamy. Press the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve with a ladle and return it to a clean pan (optional)
While the sauce cools and blends, boil the rigatoni in well-salted water for 1-2 minutes less than the package time. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain.
Add the pasta to the strained sauce with 60ml (¼ Cup) of the pasta water. Toss over low heat for 1 minute until the sauce coats the pasta.
Take the pan off the heat and add the butter, Parmigiano Reggiano and a splash more pasta water. Toss vigorously until glossy. Finish with basil and extra Parmigiano Reggiano and serve immediately.

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Chef's Tips

Infuse low and fry the paste. Garlic burns above about 120°C (248°F) and turns bitter, so keeping the oil near 100°C (212°F) pulls flavour into the oil without browning it. Cooking the tomato paste in that oil caramelises its sugars and builds umami, so this sauce needs less simmering time.

Blend with oil, and let it cool first. The oil emulsifies into the tomato water, creating a creamy sauce with no cream, and it carries the fat-soluble tomato flavour and colour with it. Let the sauce cool slightly before blending, and keep the vent open so steam can escape.

Finish off the heat. Butter and cheese emulsify into the starchy pasta water as long as the pan isn’t boiling. Too much heat makes the Parmigiano Reggiano clump and the sauce split.

Storage & Reheating

Cool within 1 hour of cooking, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, microwave for 2 minutes at 70% power with a splash of water, stirring halfway, until steaming hot. The sauce alone, before the pasta, butter and cheese go in, freezes for up to 3 months.

Serving 450gCalories 890kcalCarbohydrates 92gProtein 22gFat 50gSaturated Fat 13gPolyunsaturated Fat 4.61gMonounsaturated Fat 29.8gTrans Fat 0.5gCholesterol 36.7mgSodium 568.2mgPotassium 777.9mgFiber 7.4gSugar 12gVitamin A 512.3IUVitamin C 32.4mgCalcium 232.9mgIron 2.7mg