Description
A creamy and flavorful tomato pasta sauce made with olive oil, butter, tomato paste, cream, and parmesan. This rich sauce is quick to prepare and perfectly coats your favorite pasta, enhanced with a touch of lemon juice and black pepper. Ideal for a comforting meal that comes together in just 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Scale
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 30 grams butter (2 tablespoons)
- ½ onion, finely chopped (about 70 grams)
- 3 garlic cloves, finely diced
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 70 grams tomato paste (¼ cup)
- ¾ cup cream
- 40 grams parmesan, finely grated
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Pasta
- 200 grams dried pasta or 300 grams fresh pasta
Instructions
- Boil Pasta: Get a pot of heavily salted water boiling for your pasta. Cook the pasta, timing it so you can add it straight into the sauce at the end. If you finish cooking the pasta before the sauce is ready, reserve a mug of pasta water before draining.
- Cook Onions: Heat the olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and when they start sizzling, reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until soft and translucent.
- Add Garlic and Pepper: Add the finely diced garlic and black pepper to the pan. Cook for another minute or two on low heat, making sure nothing browns. Adjust the heat to low if needed.
- Add Tomato Paste: Stir in the tomato paste and whisk to combine. Cook it for a minute or two to develop flavor.
- Add Cream: Slowly add the cream while whisking steadily to combine evenly. Keep the heat on low to maintain a very gentle simmer to prevent curdling.
- Add Lemon Juice: Quickly whisk in the lemon juice. If curdling occurs, you can add the lemon juice later when mixing the pasta into the sauce.
- Incorporate Parmesan: Add the finely grated parmesan cheese in three separate additions, whisking well after each to fully melt it into the sauce.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Add the cooked pasta directly into the sauce along with about ¼ cup of reserved pasta water. Let the pasta simmer gently in the sauce for a minute or two to thicken it. Add more pasta water if the sauce becomes too thick.
- Season and Serve: Taste the sauce and add salt as needed. Serve the pasta with extra parmesan, black pepper, and fresh basil leaves if desired. Enjoy your creamy tomato pasta!
Notes
- Onion size varies by region; in the USA, half an onion can be about 70 grams.
- Timing your pasta cooking so it finishes close to the sauce’s readiness helps maintain sauce temperature and texture.
- Always reserve some pasta water before draining as it helps to loosen and perfect the sauce consistency.
- The sauce is intentionally made quite saucy since the pasta absorbs liquid over time.
- Serve with an easy iceberg wedge salad for a complete meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 400 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 18 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
