This Penne Pomodoro is made from scratch in just 20 minutes with the best homemade tomato basil sauce. Just make the sauce, cook the pasta, and let them simmer together for a few minutes - and that's all there is to it. With one special trick for the smoothest, softest tomato sauce ever...
A Quick Weeknight Dinner Full of Flavor, All Made From Scratch
When time is short and everyone is hungry I love being able to put a good dinner on the table in just 20 minutes. And by good, I mean really good. Flavorful, filling, and all made from scratch.
Penne al pomodoro simply means penne with a light tomato sauce, generally made from just tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil. The one we use here is my homemade tomato basil sauce, and it keeps well for days. So if you want to plan ahead for the week, just make a batch on Sunday, and enjoy penne pomodoro any night of the week, in just the time it takes to cook the pasta!
Simple Ingredients That Add a Lot of Flavor
What Tomatoes to Use
I used crushed tomatoes for this, as I find they give a good, pretty smooth, consistency without needing to blend the sauce. You can also use chopped tomatoes (chunkier) or tomato puree (more liquid).
If you can find crushed or chopped San Marzano tomatoes that is amazing. I often can not, so I just use what I can find.
About the Wine
White wine adds incredible depth to this dish, which is why I include it. I mostly use non-alcoholic cooking wine, because that's what I have at home, but you can use any type of white wine. If you use a kind you really enjoy to drink, it will just make the sauce better!
If you really want to skip the wine you can, just add the same amount of water or vegetable broth instead. But, if you can, it is better to include it.
Why Add Baking Soda?
Baking soda helps neutralize the acid from the tomatoes, which makes the taste of the sauce smoother, softer and a bit sweeter. You can achieve similar results with sugar, but I don't like adding sugar if I don't have to - and I find the result to be even better with baking soda.
If you're using a really sweet tomato you might not need it, but for the canned tomatoes I use it makes a huge difference.
Just Make the Sauce, Boil the Pasta and Put It All Together
1. Olive Oil + Garlic + Tomatoes + White Wine
Sauté garlic in lots of olive oil, then add crushed tomatoes and white wine. Simmer 10 minutes.
2. Add Baking Soda
Add baking soda and mix well, then simmer 2 more minutes.
3. Season & Taste test
Season with chopped basil and black pepper. Mix well.
4. Add Pasta
Add cooked pasta together with a bit of pasta cooking water, and let it simmer for a minute or so. Then taste test and add salt if needed. Serve with fresh basil or parsley on top and lots of shredded parmesan!
Top Tips for the Best Pasta
Do add baking soda. It makes a huge difference for the end result.
Drain the pasta when it is almost done. We will simmer it with the sauce as well so we want it to still have a bit of bite left.
Do add pasta cooking water to the sauce. This helps bind the sauce to he pasta, and adds seasoning.
Let the pasta simmer with the sauce. This helps bind the sauce further to the pasta and ensures a cohesive finished dish, and not just "tomato sauce on pasta".
Storing, Freezing & Reheating Instructions
Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Keep in mind the consistency will not be quite the same after thawing.
Reheating stove top: Heat in a saucepan over medium heat, until hot and smooth. Add a bit of water if it looks dry.
Reheating in microwave: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 1-minute increments, mixing between each segment.
What To Serve With It
- Air Fryer Texas Toast Garlic Bread11 Minutes
- Air Fryer Frozen Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts15 Minutes
- Easy Overnight Focaccia1 Hours 30 Minutes
- Garlic Roasted Broccoli25 Minutes
More Quick & Easy Pasta Recipes
- Cajun Alfredo Sauce with Pasta15 Minutes
- Gouda Mac and Cheese1 Hours 5 Minutes
- Taco Pasta15 Minutes
- 10-Minute Lemon Ricotta Pasta10 Minutes
Recipe
Penne Pomodoro (Easy Tomato Basil Pasta)
Print RateIngredients
- 4 cups dried penne pasta
- 4 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves chopped
- 2 (14.5 oz) cans crushed tomatoes or chopped/pureed
- ½ cup white wine cooking wine is fine
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup basil chopped, loosely packed
- ½ teaspoon salt more or less according to taste
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper more or less according to taste
To serve
- fresh ground black pepper
- shredded parmesan cheese
- fresh basil or parsley
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium heat, then add chopped garlic. Sauté 2 minutes without allowing it to brown.4 tablespoon olive oil, 4 garlic cloves
- Add crushed tomatoes and white wine and simmer 10 minutes.2 (14.5 oz) cans crushed tomatoes, ½ cup white wine
- While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta in a large pot with a lot of heavily salted water. Cook until almost done, then reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the rest.4 cups dried penne pasta
- Mix in baking soda, then simmer 2 minutes.¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Turn off the heat and mix in chopped basil and black pepper.1 cup basil, ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- Mix in penne pasta with a bit of pasta cooking water. Add more as needed to create a smooth sauce that coats the pasta well. Simmer 1 minute, then taste test and season with salt if needed. Serve topped with fresh cracked black pepper, shredded parmesan cheese and fresh basil or parsley.fresh ground black pepper, shredded parmesan cheese
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
- Wide pot or skillet
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
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