Pasta with Homemade Tomato Sauce and Ricotta.
Pasta con pomodoro fresco e ricotta.
Italian cuisine is mostly based on fresh ingredients and simple recipes. Of course, there are fancy dishes for special occasions and Michelin star restaurants here but, on a day to day basis Italians eat clean and simple. The best example of Italian simple Italian food has to be homemade tomato sauce (sugo). This is the number one condiment for pasta throughout Italy. It is loved by children and adults alike. In fact, there are many Italians who eat pasta with homemade tomato sauce more than once a week and it’s a staple for Italian children!
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Tomato sauce in Italian cooking.
In the Italian kitchen, tomato sauce is the base for many well-known recipes, not just pasta ones (think eggplant parmigiana, meatballs, beef olives (braciole), baked rice, Sicilian arancini etc).
Many Italians make their own tomato sugo. Some use canned or bottled passata or peeled tomatoes. Others use fresh tomatoes. It’s still very traditional for Italian cooks and housewives to make their own passata in the summer months when tomatoes are at their best. They then store it in glass jars to be used in the winter. Many also make tomato sauce from scratch when a recipe calls for it. I don’t know any Italians who buy ready-made sugo. By this I mean, sauce that has already had herbs and garlic or onions added to it.
The classic Italian tomato sauce.
The classic Italian tomato sauce has only a couple of ingredients. Apart from the tomatoes or passata, the most popular are just garlic and basil, although some people use onions instead of garlic. A few use both. Because fresh basil is a summer herb, some Italians add oregano to their tomato sauce when basil isn’t available. When cooking tomato sauce for pasta it’s possible to add other ingredients such as finely chopped celery and carrots. This isn’t so common though.
A little tomato sauce history!
Nowadays, it’s impossible to imagine Italian cuisine without tomatoes! So, I think it’s ironic that tomatoes have only been eaten in Italy since the 16th century. The tomato was first brought to Europe from Latin America by the Spanish, who were also the first Europeans to start cooking and eating them.
In Italy, tomatoes were looked upon with suspicion and considered poisonous. They were used mostly as ornamental plants until the Spanish, who controlled much of Southern Italy during the 16th and 17th century taught the Italians how to cook them.
By the 18th century Italians had started to preserve tomatoes, but it wasn’t until the 19th century that pizza Margherita, pasta al Pomodoro and other Italian dishes with tomatoes started to become popular! Today tomatoes are the quintessential Italian ingredient and pasta with homemade tomato sauce the most eaten pasta dish.
Different kinds of tomatoes.
Today, Italians grow many different kinds of tomatoes. The most well-known for sauce is San Marzano, but tomato sugo can be and is made with other types of tomatoes. In fact, there are about 20 tomato varieties that are used to make sugo. Some of these are grown in certain regions and not widely available, such as Prunill tomatoes from Puglia or the Pizzutello tomato which is grown on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius in Campania and in Sicily.
I like to use small tomatoes such as datterini (date tomatoes) and cherry tomatoes. For this pasta with homemade tomato sauce I used cherry tomatoes. The important thing when using fresh tomatoes is that they are ripe (strong red colour) and you need to blanch and peel them if they have thick skins. Small tomatoes tend to have thin skins, so I don’t peel them.
Other ingredients for your pasta with homemade tomato sauce.
Apart from the sugo, it’s possible to serve pasta with homemade tomato sauce with other ingredients including different vegetables or seafood. Cheese is of course ubiquitous. Most Italians add some kind of grated hard cheese to their pasta with tomato sauce. However, soft cheese is also popular. In this recipe I added creamed fresh ricotta. I didn’t mix the ricotta with the sauce but put it into the bottom of the bowl and placed the pasta with homemade tomato sauce on top. It was wonderful, but you can serve this dish without it.
My choice of pasta was spaccatelle, one of my favourite Sicilian pasta types. However, you can make this recipe with almost any kind of pasta. Traditionally it’s most often served with spaghetti or penne.
If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. You can comment and rate this recipe here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page. Looking forward to hearing from you!
Buon appetito
(See the recipe on the next page. Just scroll down and click 2)
michele says
My daughter and I made this tonight. Easy and satisfying for two tired people. We made a bit more sauce than called for, upped the amount of ricotta in each bowl, and added a lot of fresh basil and a goodly amount of pepper. Thank you for another delicious recipe that really showcases the lovely flavours of simple but good ingredients.
Jacqui says
Thanks for your comment Michele. I’m really happy you liked this recipe. Yes, some of the best Italian pasta recipes really are simple. It’s all in the ingredients!
Chef Mireille says
LOVE the simple ingredients in this pasta – using fresh simple ingredients for optimal flavor often makes a great dish
admin says
I agree Mireille, often the simplest recipes are the best, especially if the ingredients are fresh! All the best from Verona! Jacqui
Al says
Thank You. Can some fetabe afford to the ricotta ,just a few spoonfuls for some zing
Jacqui says
Thanks for your comment AI. If I understood you correctly you ask if some feta can be added to the ricotta. I think you can. It would give the cheese a stronger flavour!
Casey says
There is not a single thing in this dish that I do not love! The ingredients are so simple but so flavorful! I cannot wait to make this for myself one night!!
admin says
Thanks so much Casey! I love this dish too. Simple is so often best, especially with fresh ingredients! All the best. Jacqui
Stephanie Simmons says
This sounds amazing! I love making homemade tomato sauce!
admin says
Grazie Stephanie! This is an awesome dish. So tasty and yet so simple! Hugs from Verona! Jacqui
Claire says
I loved the idea of the ricotta on the plate first! I just had to try it!
So delicious and my kids loved it.
admin says
That’s great to hear Claire! I love the idea of the ricotta too. It makes the dish so special, even though it’s a simple recipe! All the best from Verona! Jacqui
Linda | Brunch-n-Bites says
Oh yum! This pasta looks so awesome. I love how add fresh ingredients to this pasta and that tomato sauce sounds so refreshing. I’ve never tried spaccatelle before so that’s on my list.
admin says
Thanks so much Linda, happy you like this recipe! Yes, fresh is best! Spaccatelle is a great pasta from Sicily, but unfortunately not widely available. You may find it online though! All the best Jacqui
mydeliciousmeals says
Guess what? Have all the ingredients ) definitely trying this one on the weekend. Kind of getting tired of grilling )) And I’m sure my kids would love this
admin says
That’s great Helen! I’m sure you’ll love it. The kids too! Buon appetito! Jacqui
Mayuri Patel says
Pasta with ricotta and freshly home made tomato sauce sounds delicious. I love pasta, have to try with ricotta cheese next time I make it. Its like how so many Indian dishes too have tomato and potato. Both were introduced by the Portuguese.
admin says
I’m sure you’ll love serving ricotta this way Mayuri! It’s seriously delish! Tomatoes were brought to Europe by the Spanish. I’m not sure about potatoes. I have to look that up! Happy weekend from Verona! Jacqui
Nayna Kanabar says
Pasta is so versatile you can flavour it with any sauce and this combination sounds wonderful and so tasty.
admin says
Thank you Nayna! Yes that’s why it’s my favourite food!! There are so many delicious pasta recipes and often the most simple are the tastiest! All the best from Verona! Jacqui
Alison Rost says
It’s nice to learn more about how tomatoes became a vital ingredient in Italian cuisine. I just love how versatile it is as well. It’s a lovely ingredient that’s perfect for any season.
admin says
Thanks Alison! I love learning about and sharing these food history facts! Tomatoes have become such an important ingredient in Italian cuisine. It’s funny to think they weren’t originally grown in Europe! Happy weekend! Jacqui
Dick Kessler says
I will try the ricotta unmixed. A great idea. In sw us we get romas at 33 cents per pound so I freeze 20 to 40 pounds for dugo in 1 lb bags and remove the skin in the sugo. There is one place trader Joe’s that sells California grown San marzanos. What a treat completely different taste from romas. So we are trying to germinate a bunch of seeds for our own San marzanos
admin says
I’m sure you’ll love serving the ricotta unmixed Dick! Fabulous if you manage to get seeds your own San Marzanos! They really are great tomatoes for sauce, although I love using cherry or datterini tomatoes too!