Easy Penne Pomodoro (Less Than 30 Minutes!)

Light and bright Penne Pomodoro is a rustic and simple Italian pasta recipe, loaded with tomatoes, fresh basil and penne. Pasta pomodoro is ready in less than 30 minutes.

Make this pasta al pomodoro recipe with fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes. We include directions for both in the recipe card below! Serve with a side of garlic bread.

What Is Pomodoro Sauce

“Pomodoro” is the Italian word for tomato, so pomodoro sauce simply means tomato sauce. This pasta pomodoro recipe is naturally vegetarian as it doesn’t contain meat. Due to the use of parmesan cheese, it’s not vegan, however.

Type of Tomatoes

As pomodoro tomato sauce focuses on the flavor of the tomato, it’s imperative you use a brand of canned tomatoes, or variety of fresh tomatoes, you enjoy.

Canned Tomatoes

It’s ideal to use tomatoes packaged in a cardboard box. They are more expensive, but you won’t suffer from that odd metallic taste some brands have. If you do use a brand with a metallic taste, just add a bit of granulated sugar to help remove the aftertaste.

We recommend whole San Marzano tomatoes, but diced or crushed tomatoes will work. Crushing the tomatoes is half the fun.

Fresh Tomatoes

Load up on high quality ripe plum tomatoes. You’ll need to blanch, skin and pit them before adding to the sauce.

To blanch the tomatoes, use a sharp knife to make an “X” incision in the bottom of the tomatoes. Place them in a large pot of boiling water for 30 seconds before removing, peeling and coring. Now they’re ready to go!

Noodles

While this is named penne pomodoro, you can use any noodle you have on hand. Here are a few of our favorite noodles to use when making penne al pomodoro:

Rigatoni pomadoro
Angel hair pomodoro
Bucatini pomodoro
Squid Ink Pasta

Pasta al Pomodoro in 30 Minutes

This pasta recipe is a very hands off recipe for the most part. Once you get the sauce going the majority of time is just simmering. After heating the garlic in oil you’ll add the tomatoes and basil and simmer.

The only other step is cooking the pasta and adding it to the reduced sauce and tossing. That’s it. Italians love simple but flavorful sauces and this is one of them.

Pasta Pomodoro Variations

Chicken Pomodoro

Make this a chicken pasta pomodoro by grilling up a batch of chicken breasts or chicken thighs.

Filetto di Pomodoro

Add sliced prosciutto ham to the skillet before the garlic and cook until crisp. Proceed with the recipe as written.

Expert Tips

Generously salt the water with Kosher salt before boiling.
Make sure to only cook the pasta to al dente. You won’t want mushy pasta shells.
Use water, Instant Pot Bone Broth or Vegetable Stock if you forgot to reserve pasta water and you wish to thin the sauce.
If using whole or diced tomatoes, use an immersion blender if you like a non-chunky sauce.
Other fresh herb options: thyme, rosemary or oregano.
Grate or finely dice some onions for an extra flavor boost.
Bulk it up with fresh vegetables, including zucchini, eggplant or mushrooms. Just add them to the skillet before the garlic and proceed with the recipe as written.

Drink Pairings

Since tomato based sauces are acidic, it’s best paired with medium-bodied red wines: cabernet sauvignon, zinfandel or chianti.

Penne Pomodoro

Light and bright Penne Pomodoro is a rustic and simple Italian pasta recipe, loaded with tomatoes, fresh basil and penne. Pasta pomodoro is ready in less than 30 minutes.

Course Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword Pasta Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings people

Calories 246kcal

Author Darcey Olson

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1½ Tbsp Minced Garlic
2 28 oz Cans of Whole Peeled Tomatoes (*Note 1)
1 Tbsp Fresh Basil + More For Garnish, Chiffonade
1/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
16 oz Penne Pasta
Grated Parmesan Cheese, To Taste

Instructions

Heat a large skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the olive oil and garlic and sauté until fragrant (approx. 30 seconds).
Add the tomatoes, basil, salt, and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to break apart the whole tomatoes and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
Optional Step: Use an immersion blender to blend the sauce if you prefer a smooth sauce with no tomato chunks.
While the pasta is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the penne. Cook the noodles according to the "al dente" directions on the back of the box. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
Add the cooked pasta to the pomodoro sauce and toss to evenly coat. Add the reserved pasta sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed. Taste and add extra salt and pepper, if desired.
Serve in individual bowls and top with fresh basil strips and shredded parmesan cheese.

Notes

Note 1 - It's ideal to use tomatoes packaged in a cardboard box. They are more expensive, but you won't suffer from that odd metallic taste some brands have. If you do use a brand with a metallic taste, just add a bit of granulated sugar to help remove the aftertaste.

Note 1 - We recommend whole San Marzano tomatoes, but diced or crushed tomatoes will work.

Note 1 - If using fresh tomatoes, use 3.5 lbs and follow the below directions to blanch and skin.

To blanch the tomatoes, use a sharp knife to make an "X" incision in the bottom of the tomatoes. Place them in a large pot of boiling water for 30 seconds before removing, peeling and coring. Now they're ready to go!

Nutritional information is just an estimate and does not include any parmesan cheese.

Nutrition

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