A simple pasta dish is my idea of a great weeknight meal. This one is so quick to put together and pretty much uses all pantry items (except for cream) so you can make this even if you haven’t gone grocery shopping in a little while. Don’t have the cream, not to worry! You can substitute regular milk in it’s place. Or if you want to make it dairy free/vegan, just omit the cream altogether for an equally delicious basic tomato sauce.

I say this all the time, but I really think everyone should make their own pasta sauce. It’s so easy to do. You can put all the good ingredients you want, and avoid the chemicals or preservatives that jarred/canned sauces may contain. It also just tastes way better.

If you’ve never bought tomato passata, it is just plain pureed tomatoes that comes in tall glass jars. It doesn’t have much flavour on its own, but once you add all the seasonings and cream, it becomes this wonderful pasta sauce. I use passata in many other dishes too, such as my Meatless Sloppy Joes; Stuffed Zucchini Boats; or Cauliflower Pizza with Homemade Pizza Sauce.

I usually like to fill my meals with veggies but I love the simplicity of this specific dish, with it being just pasta and sauce. To compensate, I tend to pair this pasta with a yummy salad – maybe try this one that I made recently —> Green Salad with Dijon Dressing. When you’re eating a big bowl of pasta, it’s nice to have some healthy veggies with a bright dressing to help cut some of the richness.

Ingredients:

• 375g pasta of choice, I used whole wheat spaghetti
• 2 cups tomato passata
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tsp each: basil, oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp each: black pepper, chili flakes
• 1/3 cup half & half cream (10% cream)

Directions:

1. In large pot, cook pasta according to directions on package.
2. While pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce: in medium pot, combine tomato passata, water and all spices. Heat over medium-low, until bubbling gently, then let simmer 5 minutes, covered. Stir in cream.
3. Drain pasta and toss with sauce. Serve hot and store any leftovers in the fridge.