Description
This creamy tomato pasta sauce is a rich and velvety blend of tomato paste, cream, and parmesan cheese, enhanced with garlic, onion, and a hint of lemon juice. Perfect for coating your favorite pasta, this sauce is easy to prepare and delivers comforting Italian flavors 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 and cook the pasta, timing it so it finishes cooking right when the sauce is ready. If you drain the pasta before the sauce is complete, reserve about ¼ cup of pasta water.
- Cook Onions: Heat olive oil and butter in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and reduce heat to medium-low once they begin sizzling. Cook for 4-5 minutes until soft.
- Add Garlic and Pepper: Add garlic and black pepper to the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes on low heat without browning.
- Add Tomato Paste: Stir in the tomato paste, whisking and cooking for 1-2 minutes to combine flavors.
- Add Cream: Slowly add cream while whisking to combine. Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer by adjusting heat to low or low-medium.
- Add Lemon Juice: Quickly whisk in lemon juice. To prevent curdling, you can add this later with the pasta if preferred.
- Add Parmesan: Add parmesan cheese in three batches, whisking well after each addition to melt it smoothly into the sauce.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Add the cooked pasta directly into the sauce along with a splash (about ¼ cup) of reserved pasta water. Let it gently bubble for 1-2 minutes to thicken; loosen with more pasta water if necessary.
- Season and Serve: Taste the sauce and add salt to your preference. Serve immediately, optionally garnished with extra parmesan, black pepper, and fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- Onion size varies; in the USA, onions are often larger—½ onion here weighs about 70 grams.
- Timing the pasta cooking is important; start the sauce about 3-4 minutes after beginning to boil the pasta.
- Always reserve some pasta water before draining; it helps loosen and enrich the sauce.
- The sauce may seem abundant initially but thickens as it sits and is absorbed by the pasta.
- Serve with an easy iceberg wedge salad for a complete meal.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 450 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 15 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 75 mg
