Easy Penne Pomodoro
When you’re craving a simple, yet delicious pasta dinner, give this penne pomodoro a try. The sauce turns pantry canned tomatoes into a light, yet satisfying dinner that’s worthy of Mediterranean summer nights, no matter when you’re enjoying it.
I love when simple ingredients turn into something great.🍅
It’s truly the Italian way, where less is better and quality ingredients don’t need much. It was something I noticed time and time again eating my way through Italy.
Pomodoro, by definition is “tomato” in Italian. It’s a very simple sauce made with olive oil, tomatoes, garlic, fresh basil, and sea salt. It’s perfect for summer evenings (maybe eaten outside?!), but honestly delicious all year-long.
😋 Seriously delicious: This pasta is light, bright, and incredibly flavorful.
🛒 Made with simple ingredients: This simple dinner comes together with just a handful of ingredients.
⏱️ Weeknight-friendly: It’s quick and easy and ready in 30 minutes or less.
🍅 Perfect summer dinner: Even though you don’t need fresh tomatoes, it’s a light and bright meal that’s perfect for summer evenings.
🍝 Kid-approved: Familiar and simple flavors the whole family will love.
You’ll also want to try sausage and broccoli pasta, sesame noodles, boursin pasta, or shrimp linguine.
Ingredient Notes
You’ll need some fresh ingredients and pantry staples to bring this pasta to the table: olive oil, garlic, canned San Marzano tomatoes, fresh basil, sea salt, penne pasta, and Parmesan cheese.
Emily’s Tips & Tricks
- Pro tip: Use high-quality tomatoes! Because the pomodoro sauce is so simple, good ingredients will really make a difference here. San Marzano tomatoes are a bit more expensive, but the flavor is worth it!
- Cooking methods: If you don’t have an immersion blender, it may be easier to blend sauce before cooking. Blend garlic and tomatoes (with their juices) until smooth in a blender or food processor. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and carefully pour in the blended tomato garlic mixture. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and follow the instructions on recipe card.
- Feeding kids without pressure: I would recommend serving the penne pasta pomodoro in a pinch bowl (taster bowl) if it’s a new or learning-to-like it food. Serve the meal with a few items you know your kids will eat, like fruit, milk, and/or bread and butter if they don’t do pasta. If your kids are still learning to like red sauce, you could leave some pasta plain for them instead of tossing it all with the sauce. You can also really use any type of pasta you like.
Easy Penne Pomodoro Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This simple penne pomodoro is a weeknight dinner dream. Made with simple ingredients and bursting with bright tomato and basil flavor.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 28 oz. can peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes
- .25 oz. fresh basil (about 1/2 cup leaves)
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 16 oz. penne pasta
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
- extra basil for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large sauce pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add in garlic, cooking until fragrant. Add in tomatoes and sea salt. Blend the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add in basil (keep whole), and bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook penne pasta according to package instructions.
- Drain and add pasta to the pomodoro sauce (or serve pasta and sauce separately so everyone can sauce their own). Toss to coat pasta and serve with thinly sliced fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat pasta in a skillet (covered) over medium-low heat until hot or reheat in the microwave.
- Ingredient notes: Use high-quality San Marzano tomatoes if you can.
- Prep ahead: You can make the sauce a day or two in advance.
- Special tools: A microplane zester is the best way to grate Parmesan cheese, and the immersion blender (which is also a mini chopper) is a favorite tool of mine.
- Serve with: Garlic bread, Italian chopped salad, kale salad, or garbanzo bean salad.
- Nutrition: Calories are an estimate and do not include Parmesan cheese.
Serving Suggestions
All this pasta needs is a simple side or two (though we’ve totally eaten it on its own too), it’s a wonderfully simple meal. Here are a few sides we love:
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer, nutrition expert, and founder of My Everyday Table. She specializes in creating easy, healthy recipes that help busy parents feed their families well every single day, without the stress. With a degree in Nutrition and over 20 years of experience, Emily shares family-friendly meals that are practical, nourishing, and full of flavor. Learn more about Emily’s approach to everyday cooking and nutrition here.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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