Pumpkin Pasta Sauce With Rigatoni Pasta
Published: Modified: Nov 6, 2022 by Recipe Garden This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Pumpkin pasta sauce made with leftover canned pumpkin puree, marinara sauce and seasonings makes a super easy, simple and delicious pumpkin pasta sauce which is served with rigatoni pasta or penne pasta for a simple, tasty homemade dinner, lunch or any meal! This rigatoni pasta with pumpkin pasta sauce also makes a great side dish for holidays like Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner as this is very easy to make using any leftover canned pumpkin puree you may have! It is also a great pasta recipe to use any leftover pumpkin puree from the holidays!
More easy, delicious recipes using leftover canned pumpkin puree includes moist pumpkin banana bread, 3 ingredient pumpkin muffins, instant pumpkin spice coffee latte and more!
You can also make instant pot pumpkin mac and cheese using leftover pumpkin puree which is yet another delicious pumpkin pasta using sour cream and cheese!
Instant Pot Quick Penne Pasta And Homemade Marinara Sauce
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Make this quick Instant Pot Penne and Marinara using the pot-in-pot method for a kid-approved dinner that keeps the homemade tomato sauce separateand youll have it on the table in under 15 minutes.
Why Youll Love This Recipe: Who doesnt appreciate a dinner you can make from pantry staples and have on the table in under 15 minutes? This easy pasta recipe is kid-friendly and helps you make a rich homemade tomato sauce in a snap.
This quick and easy recipe used to be included with our How to Make Perfect Instant Pot Pasta post. However, people had a hard time finding that recipe, so we decided to give it a home on its own page.
Ive also updated the post with new tips to help you make the easiest Instant Pot pasta recipe even faster.
Tips On How To Make Marinara Chicken Penne Pasta
Our chicken penne pasta recipe is a tomato-based dish with chunks of chicken breast sauteed in nutty butter and aromatic garlic and onions. This delicious chicken penne is great anytime of the day and all year round. And although its easy to make, we still have some tips for you to make it even easier.
- Cook the pasta two minutes before it is al dente. The penne will finish cooking once it is combined with the sauce and will be able to absorb the marinara sauce flavors.
- You dont need to drain the pasta after cooking. Instead, you may add the pasta from the hot water straight into the sauce. This ensures it doesnt dry out.
- If you feel its needed, you can add some of the pasta water into the sauce to help thicken the sauce.
- Use high quality butter. It adds a lot more flavor to chicken pasta recipes.
- For this recipe, we use boneless chicken breasts and cook them on a skillet. However, if you have leftovers from your rotisserie chicken, you can slice them into chunks and mix them with the same sauce.
Are you looking for more chicken pasta dishes? You can also try this creamy chicken alfredo pasta or a spicy pesto chicken pasta. Both are just as satisfying as this recipe.
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How To Make Spaghetti With Tomato Sauce
This simple spaghetti dish is made in a single pot, saving you time and effort. I adore my 6-quart Dutch oven for just this reason! Whats the deal with all the salt? Dont be concerned. You will not be consuming the recommended 2.5 tablespoons of salt. Not only does salted water boil more quickly than unsalted water, but it also imparts a tremendous amount of flavor to the pasta and prevents it from sticking together.
- Prepare the spaghetti by filling a large Dutch oven or pot 3/4 full with cold water and bringing it to a boil. Toss in 2 teaspoons salt and the pasta. Using tongs, separate the pasta a few times during the first 2 minutes of cooking to ensure that it does not stay together. Continue to boil, uncovered, for another 5 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente, tossing periodically.
Tips for preparing gluten-free spaghetti include the following:
- It cooks a little more quickly than wheat, so keep an eye on it. It has a tendency to cling, so mix often and rinse well with cold water after draining. During cooking, it causes the water to become murky, which is normal.
- Drain the pasta: Towards the conclusion of the cooking time, test the spaghetti for doneness by taking one strand onto a dish with tongs. Do not overcook until the meat becomes overly tender. Cooked pasta with a little of bite is the secret to a delicious pasta dish. Drain the water through a colander.
How To Thicken Marinara Sauce
This pasta sauce should be thick enough to enjoy after simmering for several minutes uncovered, but if you want it even thicker then here are a couple of ways to thicken your pasta sauce.
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One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta
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This chicken parmesan pasta is the perfect one pot meal for busy weeknights. Its flavorful and can be on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Plus, its a great way to use any leftover chicken parmesan. This chicken parmesan pasta is sure to become a family favorite.
This chicken parmesan pasta is the perfect weeknight meal. Its quick and easy to make and packed with flavor. Plus, it only dirties one pot, which means less cleanup for you. Win-win!
Plus, it only dirty one pot! Heres what you need: chicken breasts, pasta, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, and Italian seasoning.
Serve it with a simple green salad and some garlic bread for a complete meal.
Cavatappi With Creamy Tomato Sauce
Sure, this creamy tomato sauce and cavatappi recipe look simple. But it hosts surprisingly complex flavors.
The homemade creamy tomato sauce is so good, youll toss out any cans or jars you have in the cupboard .
It takes a little time to develop the rich and salty flavors, but trust me when I say its worth the extra effort.
Infused with salty prosciutto, sun-dried tomatoes, white wine, heavy cream, and fresh herbs, its bright and delicious.
Seriously, this isnt your run-of-the-mill red sauce. So be sure to make extra!
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Key Ingredients For Pasta Sauce
- Tomatoes. You cant make a traditional red sauce without tomatoes! Whether theyre fresh or canned tomatoes, this ingredient is an absolute must.
- Garlic and onions. You could technically leave these ingredients out. But without them, your pasta sauce would have little depth. Garlic and onions give your sauce a rich, fragrant quality thats hard to replace.
- Flavor boosters. When youre learning how to make pasta sauce, youll quickly see that its very receptive to herbs, seasonings and spices. Without these flavor boosters, youd have a bland recipe.
How Long To Cook Spaghetti
If you use white pasta, whole wheat pasta, or gluten free pasta, the time will be different. Always check the directions on your package. For this recipe, I used whole wheat spaghetti and cooked it for a total of 7 minutes.
Now to tell when its done, do you know that old trick of throwing pasta against a wall to see if it sticks? Yeah, dont do that. Although, that is a great way to tell if its overdone!
Really and truly, the only way youre going to tell for sure is to test it along the way. Take one out, blow on it, or run it under cold water to cool it off, and take a bite!
If its edible with a bite, but not undercooked and hard, its probably done. This is what al dente means.
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Expert Tips For Tomato Sauce
- Tomatoes: Use fresh ripe, red tomatoes in this recipe to get the best flavor! Avoid bruised and unripened tomatoes. You can also half, double, or triple the number of tomatoes in this recipe depending on how much quantity you want to make.
- Sterilizing jars: To get the best results make sure you sterilize the canning jar before storing the tomato ketchup. Start by rinsing the canning jar. Then boil water in a large saucepan till it reaches its boiling point. Soak the jar and lid in the hot water then continue to boil the water for 8 to 10 minutes. Use tongs to remove the canning jar and leave it to drain upside down on a thick towel on a kitchen tabletop. Once the canning jar is completely air-dried the tomato sauce can be stored. Either use canning jars or use heat proof glass jars.
- Preservatives: In order to store this delicious tomato sauce for a long amount of time you will need to add sodium benzoate which is a preservative. The sodium benzoate is added once you have finished preparing the ketchup. To prepare it mix 1 teaspoon of hot water with ¼ teaspoon of sodium benzoate. Allow the sodium benzoate to dissolve then pour it into the hot tomato ketchup and stir.If you are not comfortable using preservative then make a small batch of the sauce and store in sterilized glass jars. Or you can follow the canning method of boiling and sterilizing in hot water the sealed canning jars with the sauce inside them.
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One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta Recipe Tips
- If you are looking for an easy chicken pasta dish, this is the recipe for you! This One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta dish is simple to make and only requires one pot.
- The pasta will soak up all of the delicious flavors of the chicken and cheese, making it a mouthwatering meal.
- You can customize this dish however you like by adding in your favorite vegetables or using different types of pasta.
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How To Make This Penne Pasta Bake
PASTA: Cook your pasta until al dente. You dont want to overcook it, otherwise it will be mushy once it is all combined and baked.
SAUCE: To make the sauce, cook the ground beef with the onion, then add the marinara and let it all cook together and simmer. Stir in the sour cream.
COMBINE: Stir the cooked pasta into the meat sauce.
ASSEMBLE: To assemble, you are going to have 2 layers of meat/pasta and cheese. Start by adding half of the pasta to your baking dish. Top it with half the provolone, , then half of the mozzarella. Add the rest of the pasta, then the remaining provolone, mozzarella, then the parmesan.
BAKE: Bake the pasta until the cheese is melted, then top with parsley before serving.
Ingredients For Simple Spaghetti
You will be amazed at how these simple ingredients make the tastiest spaghetti pasta sauce recipe!
- Spaghetti: Any pasta will work. I prefer using whole wheat or whole grain because it contains fibre and nutrients. If you use regular white pasta, please note the nutritional information of this delicious spaghetti recipe will change. Gluten free spaghetti such as brown rice, or quinoa, will also work but it does cook faster than wheat. So watch it to avoid a mushy mess.
- Tomato sauce: To make good spaghetti, you need a can of cheap, preferably low sodium, tomato sauce that reads tomato sauce. Not spaghetti sauce, not pizza sauce, not pasta sauce, not marinara sauce. Just tomato sauce.
- Parmesan cheese: I highly recommend using a block of fresh Parmesan and grating your own for this simple spaghetti recipe. Pre-grated Parmesan cheese in a shaker contains cellulose as a filler and does not taste as fresh.
- Extra virgin olive oil and fresh garlic: Youll need lots of minced garlic in this recipe which makes it just as flavorful as a homemade spaghetti sauce.
- Dried oregano, salt, and pepper: A simple seasoning to add to the sauce is all you need.
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Making Tomato Sauce Out Of Canned Tomatoes
To make your own tomato sauce out of a can of tomatoes, you can use whatever type of canned tomatoes you have on hand, whether they be whole, stewed, diced, or crushed.
First, drain off the liquid in the can and put it aside. Then give the tomatoes a quick whirl in your blender or food processor. If the resulting purée seems wetter than a typical tomato sauce, just drain off some of the excess liquid, or cook the mixture down until you reach the desired consistency. If using crushed tomatoes, cook down until it thickens a bit.
Some canned tomato products have added seasonings and some dont. Taste your sauce and tweak the flavor if needed, adding salt, oregano, basil, or whatever spices you prefer. Cook your sauce just long enough to warm it through for a fresh tomato sauce, or cook it until it develops a dark color and thick texture if you want more of a jarred sauce consistency. If the sauce gets too thick, add some of the reserved liquid.
One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta Recipe Variations
There are many different variations of the One Pot Chicken Parmesan Pasta Recipe.
- One variation includes using a jar of pasta sauce in place of the canned tomatoes.
- Another variation includes using ground beef or Italian sausage in place of the chicken.
- You can also add vegetables such as onions, peppers, or mushrooms to the pasta dish.
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Tips For Making The Best Italian Marinara Sauce
- Use a mixture of fresh and dry ingredients. Using a wide variety of fantastic herbs is key. I chopped up fresh oregano, Italian parsley, and basil and then added in some dried rosemary and thyme. Oh…and one more ingredient….sugar. Yep, sugar is key to a good marinara sauce!
- Time. When making any hearty marinara sauce, one thing you need is time. Cooking this sauce slow is so important. Don’t rush this one….it’s so worth the wait!
- Gluten Free. This marinara sauce is gluten free and if you serve this sauce over gluten free noodles, you have yourself a gluten free meal!
- Ground Beef vs. Ground Italian Sausage. Let me talk about the meat I used in this Penne Pasta with Italian Marinara Sauce. I used ground beef in my marinara sauce but I’ve also used ground Italian sausage and it’s delicious regardless of what type of meat you use.
- Flavored Olive Oil. I always have a flavored olive oil on hand and I often use a garlic infused olive oil in this recipe. If you don’t have a flavored olive oil, don’t worry! Any brand of extra-virgin olive oil will work perfect!
How To Store And Freeze
Leftovers of this penne pasta will keep for about five days and reheat well in the microwave. If the mixture seems dry, stir in a splash of water or milk to loosen it up again.
The meat sauce also freezes quite well, though not with the pasta. If you want to freeze some or all of the meat sauce for future meals, just skip adding the pasta.
To freeze the sauce by itself, cook the sauce completely, then let it cool completely. Transfer to freezer containers or bags, and freeze for up to three months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating, or reheat directly from the freezer over low heat in a sauce pan. Add a splash or two of water or milk to loosen up the sauce if it seems dry.
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Penne Rosa Pasta Ingredients
- SUN-DRIED TOMATOES: I use sun-dried tomatoes in oil. Sauteing them in a skillet helps to bring the flavor front and center.
- Use a good quality marinara sauce from a brand you like.
- CREAM: I use heavy cream.
- CHEESE: Grate a block of mozzarella cheese for best results.
- SPINACH: Cooks down perfectly and adds a bright pop of color along with basil.
- GARLIC: Use as much or as little as you like.
- MUSHROOMS: Adds a delicious nutty flavor.
- PASTA: Penne pasta pairs perfectly with a creamy tomato sauce recipe.
Our family likes to serve pasta with freshly roasted vegetables that are seasoned, whether it be with herbs and spices or a sauce.
How To Make Marinara Sauce With Step
Making our easy marinara recipe is easy if you follow our simple instructions.
Full measurements in both US customary and metric are available in the printable recipe card below.
Tip the canned tomatoes into a medium saucepan.
Add the chopped onions, garlic cloves , dried oregano, pepper flakes, and extra virgin olive oil.
Over medium-high heat, bring the sauce to a simmer, and lower the heat to allow the tomato sauce to gently simmer for around 45 minutes.
Stir occasionally, then, after 45 minutes, use the back of a wooden spoon to crush the tomatoes into small pieces.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and then, using a fork, smash the garlic cloves against the pan and then stir into the sauce.
If you prefer, you can use a food processor to blend your marinara sauce to the consistency you like, but we like a chunky sauce.
Add salt and pepper to taste, your sauce is now ready to serve with pasta, garnish with a little fresh basil!
Your sauce is now ready enjoy!
We hope you enjoy making the best marinara sauce recipe youll ever taste!
Wed love to hear how you got on with it, so please do leave a comment or feel free to ask a question.
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