15-Minute Tomato and Mascarpone Pasta Recipe
Deliciously creamy tomato and mascarpone pasta that does not take hours to prepare. Yep, that's what makes this delectable pasta dish perfect for a weeknight dinner! Enjoy!
Servings: 2
Calories: 360kcal
Equipment
- Measuring cups
- Measuring spoons
- Rubber spatula
Ingredients
- 2 & 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 20 pcs cherry tomatoes, chopped (about 2 & 1/2 cups)
- 2 to 3 tbsp dried tomatoes, chopped
- 1/3 cup mascarpone cheese
- 5 oz pasta
- pinch chili flakes
- salt & pepper, to season
- Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving
- fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the pasta as per package instruction.
- At the same time, heat the olive oil in a medium or large pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the oil is ready, add minced garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant.
- Add chopped tomatoes, salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
- Mix, then cover with a lid.
- When the tomatoes start to break down, adjust the heat to medium and add the chopped dried tomatoes.
- Mix and place the lid back on; continue cooking until the fresh tomatoes have almost completely disintegrated.
- Add the mascarpone cheese.
- Combine evenly, adjust the heat back to medium-high and bring the mascarpone pasta sauce to a quick boil.
- Turn the heat back to medium, taste and adjust the seasoning, then add the cooked pasta.
- Mix to ensure that it's properly coated with the sauce, then take the pan off the heat.
- Transfer pasta to a plate, then sprinkle some grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
- Serve your mascarpone pasta, with chopped fresh parsley leaves, if preferred.
Notes
- Cook's Tip #1: Depending on the cooking time of your pasta, you can start with the sauce at the same time as you place a pot of water for boiling. For reference, the pasta that I used in this recipe takes 9 minutes to cook, so it does not take more than 15 minutes to cook everything.
- Cook's Tip #2: The chili flakes do not make the mascarpone pasta sauce spicy. It's just added for balancing its creaminess.
- Variation #1: Herbs. Feel free to use dried or fresh herbs in the sauce -- a mix of basil, parsley, and oregano is a good addition.
- Variation #2: Pasta shape. You can use whatever type of pasta you want, but the tomato mascarpone sauce goes excellently with long pasta shapes.
Nutrition
Calories: 360kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 35g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 406mg | Potassium: 440mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 925IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 74mg | Iron: 1mg