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We all know pasta can be simple – but did you know you could make it THIS simple? This one pot Tomato Pasta recipe is a fantastic one for a quick, easy and delicious midweek vegetarian family meal.
There’s no doubt about it. This vegetarian Tomato Pasta recipe is the ULTIMATE cheat recipe.
We literally just put all of the ingredients in a pan together and simmer it until it’s cooked. That. Is. It!
It has delicious Italian-y tomatoey vibes, and we can rustle it up from store cupboard bits and bobs to make this comfort food dish in less than 20 minutes.
Why you’ll love this Easy Tomato Pasta recipe
⭐️ So easy, so quick
⭐️ All made in one pan
⭐️ Comfort with zero fuss
Sarah’s Notes
I know there are naysayers out there, but I LOVE to make a one pot pasta by cooking the pasta actually IN the sauce (as you will know if you’ve tried any of my other one pot pasta recipes!)
The starch in the pasta helps to thicken the liquid and gives the sauce a silky texture that gets better as it cooks. Plus, it means using one less pan and minimal effort levels!
This quick Tomato Pasta recipe is so delicious and hearty, but I wanted it to be versatile too.
After plenty of testing and adding a little pesto kick and plenty of tomatoey flavour, it is fine to eat as it comes – BUT feel free to throw in any ingredients you have that either elevate the dish for you or just needs using up.
Perhaps you want meat in it too – go forth and make it your own!
tomato Pasta Ingredients notes
- Spaghetti – We’re using the average dried spaghetti here, not fresh. Feel free to use wholewheat or gluten free too
- Stock, tinned tomatoes & tomato puree – These are the base for our sauce and important ingredients, so the better quality you use, the tastier the dish will be. I recommend Marigold for stock. You can also use homemade stock if you like
- Fresh tomatoes – Use something like cherry tomatoes that have a lot of sweetness and flavour
- Onion and garlic – Use fresh or frozen/jar for these
- Pesto – A little of this adds loads of delicious basily flavour
- Parmesan – Grana Padano is a good, slightly cheaper, alternative to Parmesan if you prefer
How to make Tomato Pasta
- Put the spaghetti, tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, pesto, salt and pepper, and stock in a large saucepan.
- With the lid on, put it over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the pasta is almost cooked.
- Stir in the cherry tomatoes and cook for a further 3 or 4 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the cherry tomatoes are softened.
- Top with the Parmesan cheese to serve.
Leftovers
In the fridge You can keep this recipe in the fridge for 3 days.
NB If you don’t serve this as soon as it’s cooked, you’ll find that the sauce absorbs into the pasta and there’s not a lot left. It won’t affect the taste, you may just want to add a splash more stock when you warm it through.
In the freezer I’m not a big fan of freezing pasta as it can go quite mushy when defrosted and reheated.
All that said, there’s nothing wrong with freezing for lunch if you have leftovers, it’s just not quite as good as fresh or reheated from the fridge.
Recipe Tip
This meal is so versatile. You can use it on its own or as a base.
Mix it up by adding what you have available in your fridge. For example, this recipe is great with mushrooms and chorizo – just fry them up in the pan for a few minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients.
There are so many options, feel free to use your imagination!
More Easy One Pot Pasta recipes…
Under 30 minutes
Marry Me Chicken Pasta {One Pot Recipe}
Family Dinner Ideas
Creamy Sausage Pasta {One Pot}
FAQs
Try and use a big lidded pan for this recipe. I have tried-and-tested some one-pan pans recently and there were some good ones in that list. Hope this pan review helps.
I sure do! Try out my Slow Cooker Feta & Tomato, my Baked Tomato & Basil Pasta, my Tomato Spaghetti with Meatballs or my Chorizo Pasta.
Let me know how you got on and what you thought of these recipes. Please rate the recipe using the ⭐️ below.
Also I’d LOVE to see your cooking creations. If you’d like to share yours with me, you can tag me on Instagram (@tamingtwins).
Tomato Pasta {Easiest Ever One Pan Spaghetti}
Ingredients
- 350 g (12 oz) Spaghetti
- 400 g (14.5 oz) Tinned tomatoes
- 1 Large onion, Sliced
- 4 Cloves Garlic, Peeled and sliced
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 4 tbsp Pesto
- 3 tbsp Tomato puree
- 1 litre (4.25 cups) Vegetable stock, I use Marigold powder
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
- 200 g (7 oz) Cherry tomatoes
- 75 g (3 oz) Grated parmesan
Instructions
- Put the spaghetti, tinned tomatoes, onion, garlic, olive oil, pesto, salt and pepper, and stock in a large saucepan.
- With the lid on, put it over a medium heat for about 10 minutes, until the pasta is almost cooked.
- Stir in the cherry tomatoes and cook for a further 3 or 4 minutes until the pasta is cooked and the cherry tomatoes are softened.
- Top with the parmesan cheese to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Thanks for the inspiration! I made a variation of this spaghetti for a camping trip, which turned out fantastic. https://roadtripsaustralia.com/
It made soup for me. Not sauce.
So I mus5 have done something wrong.
Lovely tasty meal . Love 1 pot meals so much
My 2 granddaughters are calling it pesto spaghetti.
Amazing flavour! Will definitely be making this regularly.
I had to use fusilli as didn’t have spaghetti which may be the reason I had too much liquid left at the end of the cooking time.
To try and fix this I turned the heat up and removed the lid for 5 minutes, maybe next time I’ll add less stock to start and top up if required.
I love this recipe and it’s become my go to on nights when I don’t know what to make. Super quick and easy, only one pot and uses ingredients we generally have in the house. What’s not to love!
Had this last night and it was a massive hit in the house. So tasty and so easy to make, highly recommend
Just had this for dinner and we all loved it. Absolutely delicious and quick and easy to make. Thank you!
Loved this meal so easy and on the table within half hour!
This recipe is so simple and taste amazing! We just had our tea and all gone!
Really quick and easy to make. Loved it.