Pasta alla Rossa
I got this recipe from an Italian nonna[1] and it rules. It has everything.
If you are looking for a vegan version I found one online[2] and it uses soaked and blended cashews, nutritional yeast, and miso to make the heavy cream, YMMV.
Ingredients
Because I got this from an Italian nonna, there are not any quantities. Go with your gut.
- Olive oil
- Shallots, chopped
- Garlic, chopped or pressed
- Tomato paste (optional)
- High quality San Mariano tomatoes, crushed with your hands or pureed
- Fresh herbs, e.g. thyme, parsley, whatever
- Chili flakes
- Lemon zest
- Capers, chopped
- Heavy cream
- Penne noodles or whatever type you like
- Salt
- Parmesan cheese (or some kind of hard cheese)
Cookware
- Range
- Pot for boiling noodles
- Colander for draining
- Ladel for pasta water/sauce
- Saucepan for sauce
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Zester/microplane for lemon
- Cheese grater
Instructions
The original text was "Cook all together until nice consistency. Toss with hot pasta."
- Saute the chopped shallots and garlic in olive oil over medium-low heat.
- Once aromatic, add some tomato paste and mix around until covering other ingredients. Then add tomatoes, chili flakes, and herbs. Cook these down for a while.
- Add lemon zest, capers, and heavy cream. Mix thoroughly and cook a little longer. Let it thicken up.
- While waiting for sauce, prepare noodles as expected on the packaging. Once complete, move pasta over to sauce pan and toss with the sauce. Feel free to add more pasta water to thicken. Otherwise, discard (or save for later) the pasta water.
- Serve with grated parmesan and a drizzle of high quality olive oil on top.
References
Last modified: 202603031558