This recipe is my take on the heirloom pasta sauce recipe our Italian relatives made for us. If you know me, you know that I don't like to stand in the kitchen for hours preparing everything in different pots and pans only to end up placing them in one bowl anyways. So instead of how nonna used to make it, I made my shortcut to the same delicious flavors (and maybe a little less garlic). The original recipe also doesn't call for Harissa paste but I love spicy so I replaced half of the tomato paste with it. And for even better flavors, use fresh herbs whenever possible.
The recipe ended up very quick and super delicious. It's my go-to pasta sauce recipe and I even stopped buying the jarred ones from the super market—you only need delicious, ripe tomatoes for this one. For more creaminess you can cook your pasta in the sauce as the starch from the pasta will make it nice and thick. I skipped this step because I made the sauce for me and my partner, and I eat gluten-free and he has regular pasta, so this one the picture isn't as creamy. But it's worth to give it a try if you normally would cook your pasta separately. Note that in this case you might need a little more water to the sauce.
The recipe ended up very quick and super delicious. It's my go-to pasta sauce recipe and I even stopped buying the jarred ones from the super market—you only need delicious, ripe tomatoes for this one. For more creaminess you can cook your pasta in the sauce as the starch from the pasta will make it nice and thick. I skipped this step because I made the sauce for me and my partner, and I eat gluten-free and he has regular pasta, so this one the picture isn't as creamy. But it's worth to give it a try if you normally would cook your pasta separately. Note that in this case you might need a little more water to the sauce.
YIELDS
2 servings
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 450g GF linguini or spaghetti
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups ripe, fresh tomatoes, chopped or baby plum tomatoes
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- to taste salt, pepper
- 1–2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp Harissa paste
- 1/2 cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup fatty coconut milk
- 1/2 cup pasta water
Directions
1. Heat up the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat ad add the onion and sauté until translucent, about 2 minutes.
2. Add garlic, spices, tomato and Harissa paste, and stir until fragrant and well combined. Add in the tomatoes and cook until they are tender and bursted. I like to mash them with a fork.
3. Stir in the coconut milk and nutritional yeast.
4. Cook the pasta according to package directions, reserving at some of the pasta water before draining.
5. Once ready you stir in the pasta in the sauce, adding some of the pasta water if needed to get the consistency you like.
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Photo: Imola Toth
