Penne Pomodoro
- 14 oz (400 g) canned whole peeled tomatoes (The best quality plum tomatoes you can get. San Marzano DOP from the Agro Sarnese Nocerino area are ideal)
- 8oz, ½ lb (225 g) penne pasta
- 3 Tbsp (45 ml) extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt or table sea salt
- 10 leaves fresh basil (if available), bigger leaves torn up by hand
Options:
- 4 Tbsp (25 g) almond flour (optional instead of cheese), superfine or fine, peeled/blanched, almond flour is ideal.
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (optional), freshly grated to taste
KEY: pinch (⅛ tsp) | tsp = teaspoon (5ml) | Tbsp = Tablespoon (15ml)
- Bring a large covered pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce: Using a large deep bowl, simply crush the tomatoes in their juices, by hand or with a potato masher, until you are satisfied with the level of smoothness. You should have about 1½ cups of tomato sauce. Transfer the sauce to a big saute pan or skillet.
- As soon as the pasta water comes to a boil, cook the pasta in the salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente, tender yet still firm to the bite.
- While the pasta is cooking, bring the sauce to a simmer over medium low heat. Cook uncovered for about 5 minutes, or until most of the water evaporates. Stir in the olive oil, salt, basil, (and almond flour, if using), and turn off the heat.
- Drain the pasta, reserving a few tablespoons of pasta water. Toss the pasta with the sauce until evenly distributed. If too watery, turn the heat back on and cook and stir for a minute or two. If too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water, one tablespoon at a time and toss until the pasta is well coated.
- If using Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (see notes), sprinkle on top of each bowl. Buon appetito!
- Penne Pasta Substitutions: Any dried short tubular pasta works well. My preferences are rigatoni or tortiglioni.
- Cheese vs Almond Flour: Equally delicious. Use one or the other, not both.
- Other Ideas: Use this same tomato sauce on your next homemade pizza.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 721kcal (36%) | Carbohydrates: 95g (32%) | Protein: 19g (38%) | Fat: 31g (48%) | Sodium: 584mg (25%) | Potassium: 635mg (18%) | Fiber: 7g (29%) | Sugar: 8g (9%) | Vitamin A: 366IU (7%) | Vitamin B1 (Thiamine): 0.2mg (13%) | Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin): 0.2mg (12%) | Vitamin B3 (Niacin): 3mg (15%) | Vitamin C: 19mg (23%) | Vitamin E: 5mg (33%) | Vitamin K: 30µg (29%) | Calcium: 117mg (12%) | Folate (Vitamin B9): 38µg (10%) | Iron: 4mg (22%) | Magnesium: 83mg (21%) | Selenium: 71µg (101%) | Zinc: 2mg (13%)
Please keep in mind that nutritional info is an estimate and varies according to ingredients used.