The Best Penne Pomodoro Recipe

Penne al Pomodoro, which directly translates to "Tomato Penne," is a classic Italian dish that achieves delicious flavor with just a few high quality ingredients. In fact, the beauty of this dish lies in its simplicity. In just 45 minutes you'll have a perfectly chunky, slightly spicy, and garlicky Tomato Pasta Dish, making it the perfect easy pasta recipe for busy weeknights.

This Penne al Pomodoro recipe takes Italian cooking back to basics. But just because it's basic, doesn't mean it's boring. As an Italian-American recipe blogger, I've worked hard on nailing down the BEST Penne Pomodoro Recipe that can also lay the groundwork for other tomato-based pasta sauces. 

For example, my penne with pink sauce uses very similar techniques, but calls for the simple additions of vodka and cream. 

How to make Penne Pomodoro

This Penne Pomodoro calls for 6 ingredients (plus olive oil, butter, and salt). And it takes about 45 minutes from start to finish... Including prep time. 

Ingredients

The ingredients in this dish are what make it the BEST Penne Pomodoro Recipe you can make. Good quality ingredients and some simple techniques lead to excellent flavors.

• Penne Pasta or other short pasta such as ziti, cascatelli, rigatoni or even a combination! (yes, you can combine pastas, which I talk about in my YouTube video here)
• Whole Canned Tomatoes- Sclafani and Wegmans are 2 of my favorite whole tomato brands.
• Tomato paste- Tomato paste helps layer the tomato flavor into the Pomodoro sauce while also adding some natural sweetness. Some chefs leave it out, but I like the sweetness it adds. 
• Fresh Garlic Cloves- Please do not use garlic powder or onion powder when making Pomodoro, or any Italian sauce for that matter. These powders make sauces taste artificial, like the jarred kind. Fresh is the only way. 
• Chiles de arbol** Trust me on this one! Though they're optional and definitely not traditional in Italy, they add a more complex spicy element to the sauce than crushed red pepper flakes. 
• Fresh Basil Leaves- Fresh basil adds a nice subtle herbaceous flavor that balances out the bolder tomato and garlic flavors.
• Olive oil, butter, and salt- ** A little butter goes a long way in helping to emulsify the sauce, making it glossier and more cohesive.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Step 1: In a large sauté pan over medium heat, sauté sliced garlic and chiles de arbol in olive oil for ~2 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent garlic from burning.

Step 2: Add the tomato paste and sauté for 2 minutes longer. The tomato paste will become a deeper red color and start sticking to the pan. This step is crucial in building a rich and sweet tomato flavor into the Pomodoro sauce. 

Step 3: Add the can of whole tomatoes and break them in half with a spatula. No need to fully break them up just yet. Bring them to a boil, cover partially-vented, and simmer for 30 minutes. After 10 minutes, the tomatoes will be soft enough to mash up more easily.

Step 4: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, salt it until it tastes slightly salty. And cook pasta per packagae instructions. Try to time it so that the pasta is done cooking after the sauce has been simmering for 30 minutes.

Step 5: When the sauce has 5 minutes left, salt it to taste (about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt) and grate in a small clove of garlic. Then add the butter and stir until fully incorporated. 

Step 6: When the Pomodoro sauce and pasta are both done cooking (pasta should be al dente), add the pasta directly to the sauce along with ¼ cup of pasta water. Continue to stir until the Pomodoro clings well to the pasta. 

Step 7: Transfer to a serving bowl and top with fresh basil or other fresh herbs. (parsley is a good alternative to basil)

Top Hints:

1. Whole tomatoes are best for Penne Pomodoro because they remain fairly chunky. That chunky tomato texture is part of what makes a tomato pasta dish so special. 
2. After 10 minutes of simmering, use a potato masher to fully break up the tomatoes. 
3. Don't stir the basil into the hot sauce or even finished dish. Heat destroys the taste of basil. Simply give it a rough chop, or slice it in ribbons. Then use it to top the dish after plating it so the basil maintains its flavor.
4. Add the salt at the end. Since tomato sauces reduce as they cook, you may end up with a more reduced/salty sauce than you intended if you salt too early. 1 teaspoon of kosher salt tends to be perfect. Sea salt is much saltier. Start with ½ teaspoon if using sea salt. 

Substitutions

There are a couple ways to substitute ingredients in this Penne Pomodoro Recipe recipe to suit all diets. 

• Vegan/Dairy Free - In order to make this Pomodoro vegan or dairy free, leave out the butter. Substitute with 2 extra tablespoons of olive oil instead. You can add it at the same time as the rest of the olive oil. The emulsifying properties aren't the same, but at least your Penne Pomodoro will be nice and glossy. 
• Gluten Free - Easy! Just use gluten free pasta. 

Variations on Penne al Pomodoro

• Make it a meal - Serve with Italian chicken cutlets or Eggplant Milanese to make it a more filling meal.
• Baked Penne Pomodoro - When the Penne al Pomodoro is done, you can place it in a baking dish and top it with shredded parmesan cheese and mozzarella. Broil for 3-5 minutes until the cheese gets all brown and bubbly. Then finish with the basil.
• Extra Nutrients - Though tomatoes are very nutritious, you can add some greens in the form of frozen peas or spinach. Simply add them when you add the garlic and butter to the sauce. 
• Two types of Pasta- as I noted earlier, sometimes a second type of pasta is a great way to add more texture! Just make sure you follow the instructions on the box so you know when you add each shape to the boiling water. 
• Fresh Tomatoes: You can subtitute the canned tomatoes with 1.5 lbs of fresh tomatoes. (cherry, grape, or diced roma or beefsteak tomatoes)
• Other pasta shapes: Virtually any pasta shape works well with this simple tomato sauce. In Southern Italy, it's commonly served with spaghetti.
• Make it a smooth sauce: Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce prior to adding the pasta
• Tomato Cream Sauce: Add a splash of heavy cream to make it a Pink Sauce

Equipment Needed

The best cooking vessel for this recipe is a 3-quart all-clad sauté pan. It's slightly pricey, but well worth it for it's durability and beautiful appearance. Plus, I use it all the time for other recipes. 

As with any recipe, I recommend an 8" chef's knife. It doesn't have to break the bank to be a true work horse. Again, it's something you'll use almost every day. 

A Microplane for grating garlic- Another is a kitchen tool you'll use all the time for grating things like garlic and ginger, zesting citrus fruits, and grating nutmeg. 

Halving the Penne Pomodoro Recipe

1 pound of pasta is perfect for 4 people. If you're only cooking for 2 people, I recommend making the full Pomodoro sauce recipe and just halving the amount of pasta. 

Right before adding the pasta to the sauce, remove half of the sauce from the pan and save it for another time. Boil fresh pasta when you want to eat the rest of your sauce. Leftover pasta gets mushy. 

Storing leftovers 

Whether you're just storing the leftover sauce or a full serving of Penne Pomodoro, allow it to cool, then place it in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container. 

Whenever I freeze leftovers, I first press a piece of plastic wrap onto the food and then put the lid on. This keeps as much oxygen away fro the food as possible.

Always allow it to cool completely before freezing to prevent ice from forming. 

Reheating leftovers

The best way to reheat any leftover pasta is to put it in a pan with a splash of water and reheat it until hot once again. 

Top Penne Pomodoro tips

1. Use a microplane to grate in fresh garlic once the sauce has simmered for 30 minutes.
2. Add the salt at the end. Since tomato sauces reduce as they cook, you may end up with a more reduced/salty sauce than you intended if you salt too early. 1 teaspoon of kosher salt tends to be perfect. Sea salt is much saltier. Start with ½ teaspoon if using sea salt. 

Pasta al Pomodoro FAQ

1. Why is it called Pomodoro?- Pomodoro means tomato in Italian. So the Italian name Pasta al Pomodoro literally means "Tomato Pasta." 
2. Is Pomodoro the same as Tomato Sauce?- Yes, it's the one of the simplest kinds of tomato sauce. But it should be noted that there are many other tomato-based sauces too(think ragu, bolognese, vodka sauce) that are notconsidered Pomodoro.
3. What is the difference between Marinara and Pomodoro?- My Italian-American family uses the term somewhat interchangeably. However, I would argue that a Pasta al Pomodoro is chunkier, either from using whole canned or fresh tomatoes. On the other hand, marinara is saucier from crushed or even pureed tomatoes. I should also note that when searching for the term Marinara on restaurant menus in Italy, it more typically describes pizza that has just tomato sauce and oregano, but no cheese. Finally, since it also loosely means "mariner" or "of the sea" many seaside restaurants have marinara in the title. 

Food safety

• Do not reheat food multiple times. This means you shouldn't reheat leftovers and then save them as leftovers again. 

Pasta al Pomodoro FAQ

1. Why is it called Pomodoro?- Pomodoro means tomato in Italian. So the Italian name Pasta al Pomodoro literally means "Tomato Pasta." 
2. Is Pomodoro the same as Tomato Sauce?- Yes, it's the one of the simplest kinds of tomato sauce. But it should be noted that there are many other tomato-based sauces too (think ragu, bolognese, vodka sauce) that are not considered Pomodoro.
3. What is the difference between Marinara and Pomodoro?- My Italian-American family uses the term somewhat interchangeably. However, I would argue that a Pasta al Pomodoro is chunkier, either from using whole canned or fresh tomatoes. On the other hand, marinara is saucier from crushed or even pureed tomatoes. I should also note that when searching for the term Marinara on restaurant menus in Italy, it more typically describes pizza that has just tomato sauce and oregano, but no cheese. Finally, since it also loosely means "mariner" or "of the sea" many seaside restaurants have marinara in the title. 

Penne Pomodoro Recipe

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