Every cook needs one pasta they can make half-asleep, and this is ours: rigatoni in a blush-pink tomato cream sauce, silky enough to feel special, simple enough for a Tuesday. Total time, about 25 minutes. Ingredient list, mostly things already in your kitchen.
Ingredients (serves 4)
- 400 g rigatoni or penne
- 3 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 can (400 g) crushed tomatoes or passata
- 150 ml heavy cream
- 50 g parmesan, finely grated, plus extra to serve
- Pinch of chili flakes, salt, black pepper, fresh basil
Method
- Boil the pasta in well-salted water until just shy of al dente. Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining.
- Meanwhile, soften the onion in the oil over medium heat, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chili flakes for one fragrant minute.
- Stir in the tomato paste and fry it until it darkens a shade: this step builds the deep flavour.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer 8 to 10 minutes until slightly thickened. Season.
- Lower the heat, stir in the cream and parmesan, then add the pasta with a splash of pasta water. Toss until every piece is glossed.
- Finish with torn basil and more parmesan. Serve immediately in warm bowls.
The three tricks that make it restaurant-good
First, fry the tomato paste properly, it turns sweet and rich instead of tinny. Second, undercook the pasta slightly and let it finish in the sauce, so it drinks the flavour. Third, use that starchy pasta water: it is the glue that turns sauce and pasta into one silky thing instead of two separate ones.
Ways to make it yours
- Add a splash of vodka with the tomatoes for a classic vodka sauce.
- Stir in spinach or peas at the end for colour.
- Crisped pancetta or torn burrata on top for special occasions.
- Swap cream for mascarpone for an even silkier sauce.
Leftovers keep two days and reheat gently with a splash of water or milk. The sauce alone also freezes beautifully, so consider a double batch: future you will be grateful.
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