Creamy Tomato Pasta with Pancetta and Shallots
An easy and delicious Creamy Tomato Pasta. Tomatoes mixed with mascarpone cheese, salty pancetta, shallots and a pinch of chilli flakes for a little heat. This recipe is so easy, ready in under 30 minutes and is packed full of flavour.
Servings: 4 - 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 lb short pasta (450g)
- 3 cups passata (tomato puree in US) (680g)
- 2 shallots finely sliced
- 1 ¼ cup pancetta (160g)
- ⅓ cup white wine (70ml)
- 2 tablespoons mascarpone (60g)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (chilli flakes)
- salt to season
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- Parmigiano Reggiano for topping
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, once boiling add a generous amount of salt.
- Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to a large pan and add the pancetta, fry until lightly golden then add the sliced shallots and red pepper flakes. Saute until soft (1-2 minutes).
- Add the wine and reduce it by half. Add the tomatoes and a good pinch of salt and stir, simmer for 10 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, add the pasta to the water and cook until al dente (about 8-9 minutes depending on shape and brand).
- After simmering the sauce, add the mascarpone and stir in and simmer for a few more minutes until the pasta is done. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine, serve with freshly grated parmigian reggiano.
Video
Notes
- Italian tomato passata - this is smooth pureed tomatoes sold in tall jars, it does not have any added sugar, flavouring, herbs, garlic etc it's just pure tomato and it's great for creating delicious sauces. In the US it's called tomato puree (it is not tomato concentrate), the brands we use are Mutti or Cirio.
- Adjust chilli flakes to taste - you can leave them out or add more to taste.
- What pasta to use - use any pasta shape you like, short pasta shapes work really well.
- Reserving pasta water - there should be enough sauce here that you don't need to emulsify it with pasta water but it's always a good idea to reserve a little just in case.
- Leftovers - leftovers will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days and can be eaten cold or reheated on the stovetop. Add a splash of water when reheating to loosen the sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 775kcal | Carbohydrates: 103g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 28g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 334mg | Potassium: 1137mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1166IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 5mg
