Family-Friendly
15-Minute Tomato Penne Rigate


The fastest honest pasta dinner you can put on the table. While the kettle boils, you make the sauce. By the time the penne is al dente, dinner is done. Designed for the Tuesday night where you got home five minutes ago.
Ingredients
- 400 g Cibo di Italia Penne Rigate
- 1 piece tin chopped tomatoes — 400g, best quality you can find
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 pieces garlic cloves — finely grated
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1 piece small handful fresh basil — optional, torn
- to taste salt and black pepper
- 30 g parmesan — optional, grated to serve
Method
-
Step 1. Fill a kettle and boil it. Pour into a large pot, add 2 tbsp salt, and bring back to a hard boil.
2 min
-
Step 2. Drop the penne in. Set a timer for 9 minutes — taste at 8 for al dente.
9 min
-
Step 3. While it cooks, warm the olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and oregano; cook 30 seconds until fragrant.
1 min
-
Step 4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 90 seconds until it darkens — this is what gives the sauce body.
2 min
-
Step 5. Pour in the chopped tomatoes, half-fill the tin with hot pasta water, and add that too. Stir in sugar and a generous pinch of salt.
1 min
-
Step 6. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, stirring now and then. It should thicken into a glossy, spoonable sauce.
5 min
-
Step 7. Scoop out a mug of pasta water. Drain the penne and tip it into the sauce pan.
1 min
-
Step 8. Toss for 1 minute, splashing in pasta water if needed. Tear in basil, serve in bowls, and grate over parmesan if you like.
1 min
Goes well with
Sparkling water with orange wedges and a sprig of rosemary.
A simple green salad — lettuce, cucumber, olive oil, lemon, salt.
Dark chocolate squares with a few toasted almonds.
Nutrition
Scaled to your servings
- 523kcalCalories26%
- 71.6gCarbohydrate28%
- 16.7gProtein33%
- 19.3gFat28%
The pasta we used
Cibo di Italia Penne Rigate
500g · Cooks in 9–11 minutes · Serves ~5
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