Penne Pomodoro (Easy Tomato and Basil Pasta)

Penne Pomodoro is a traditional Italian dish made with simple ingredients but packed with delicious flavors. The easy recipe comes together in about 20 minutes and is perfect for busy nights!

What is Penne Pomodoro?

The recipe takes its name from the pasta format, penne, and the sauce made with pomodoro (tomato). So you can say this is just a simple way to name a dish of pasta with tomato sauce.

In Italy, pasta al pomodoro is something that will be served to kids in many restaurants, but grown-ups love it too, so is not a surprise this dish is made pretty often at home too.

Almost every single nonna and mamma in Italy has their own amazing recipe for penne pomodoro. And you guessed, all of them are the best.

A classic Italian menu will always include an antipasto (appetizer), a primo (pasta), and a secondo, which is the main dish like polpette, beef braciole, or chicken cacciatora.

What Is Penne Pasta?

Penne is a type of pasta made in a cylinder-shaped format. Penne is the plural of Penna, which in English translate to Pen, so is not hard to guess why this pasta is named like this.

There is two types of penne pasta, one is called penne rigate because it has small ridges on the surface which are supposed to help the sauce to stick better on the pasta.

The other kind of penne is the one named penne lisce which have a smooth texture. This type of penne is the less liked by many, and the last to be picked up from the supermarket’s shelves.

Because of the cylindric format of this pasta, the sauce can get inside each piece, making it one of the favorite types for many Italians.

The ingredients

PENNE – No matter what type, penne lisce or penne rigate, mezze penne, etc. This pasta is perfect to hold up the sauce and get all flavor going on.

TOMATO SAUCE – A canned pomodoro sauce is used most of the time, remember to get one that has no seasonings on it. If you want to make your own with fresh tomatoes, go ahead!

ONIONS – Finely chopped. Onions give just the right amount of sweetness to avoid using sugar. Leave them out if you don’t like them and use a teaspoon of sugar instead to balance the acidity of tomatoes.

BASIL – Fresh basil, do not chop it with a knife, instead, tear up the leaves using your fingers. If you don’t have fresh basil on hand, use dried instead.

OIL – An excellent extra virgin olive oil should give this recipe an amazing Mediterranean flavor. You can also use regular olive oil.

SEASONINGS – Garlic, salt, and pepper to your liking. For a spicy kick, add some chili flakes too.

CHEESE – Parmigiano cheese is the best option here. Add it freshly grated. The other option is parmesan cheese (no, they aren’t the same), or pecorino cheese.

Now that you know what ingredients are needed, let’s make this pasta al pomodoro.

Penne Pomodoro Recipe

First, place a pot filled with water over high heat and bring it to a boil. While you wait for the water to boil, start with the pomodoro sauce.

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and stir for about 2-3 minutes or until the onions start to brown.

Pour in the tomato sauce and season with salt and pepper. Mix well and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook the sauce over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes.

Tip: If the canned tomato you’re using has some chunks, you can also use a immersion blender to make the sauce smoother.

Meanwhile, add salt to the boiling water and cook the pasta accordingly to the package instructions.

Back to the sauce, as it’s finishing with the cooking time, adjust with salt and pepper then turn off the heat. Add the basil, mix and set aside.

Drain the penne pasta and add them to the pan with the pomodoro sauce. Mix thoroughly to coat well the pasta.

Add some parmigiano cheese and give it a quick mix. Serve immediately with more parmigiano cheese and fresh basil.

Useful Notes And Tips

• The quality of canned tomatoes you use for this recipe will reflect the flavor. Try to use a brand that you know and like.
• You can use whole canned San Marzano tomatoes and then blend them in a food processor to make the sauce.
• Place the water as the first thing when making this recipe, the sauce comes together in just over 10 minutes, enough time to cook your pasta and have it ready to add to the sauce right away.
• You can also reserve and use some pasta water to add to the sauce if needed.
• If you don’t have penne pasta, you still can make this recipe. Just use any pasta format you have available. Rigatoni is a good substitute.
• Other fresh herbs (or dried) that go perfectly with penne pomodoro pasta are oregano, parsley, or thyme.
• Add some veggies for a change. Zucchini, eggplants, or mushrooms are perfect.

How To Store And Reheat

Even though this penne pomodoro recipe comes together in so little time, you can still make the sauce ahead and even freeze it for those busy weeknights. Here’s how:

• Fridge: Up to 4 days stored in a glass container.
• Freezer: Place the sauce in bags and label them with the name and date of preparation, they will last for up to 3 months.
• Leftovers: Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. We don’t recommend freezing.
• Reheat: For reheating leftovers (already cooked pasta) place them in a pan and add a splash of water to loosen up the sauce, then heat up for a couple of minutes.

Watch How To Make It

Did you enjoy this traditional Italian recipe? Please, don’t forget to rate it and leave us a comment below.

More Pasta Recipes

• Spaghetti Alla Nerano.
• Creamy sausage and peppers pasta.
• Pasta alla checca.
• Creamy broccoli penne pasta.

If you want to keep up to date with more delicious recipes, please follow this blog along on  PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, and YOUTUBE.