This creamy Tomato Mascarpone Pasta is the perfect cosy weeknight dinner. Ready in just 30 minutes it's tasty and easy to make, great for an easy dinner that the whole family will love.
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This tomato mascarpone pasta is one of those recipes every home cook should have in their back pocket. It's easy, adaptable, and very satisfying, perfect for cosy nights in or a quick, tasty meal without the fuss.
My family love this pasta, it's a regular on our weekly meal plan. With its creamy, cheesy tomato mascarpone sauce, this pasta dish is tasty, filling and comforting. And you can get it on the table in just 30 minutes, perfect for busy weeknights.
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and Easy - it's ready in 30 minutes and is so easy to make.
- Adaptable recipe - this recipe is very adaptable, you can easily customize it to suit you! Want more veggies in there? No problem! Want more heat? Easy peasy!
- The perfect family weeknight dinner - a great family recipe, and kids and adults alike will love this. This is a restaurant-quality dish that you can easily make at home!
🛒 Ingredients Needed
Please see the recipe card for a full list of ingredients and instructions
📝 Ingredient Notes
- Mascarpone - I use full-fat mascarpone for this pasta, you can use a low-fat mascarpone if you like however the sauce may end up less creamy.
- Cherry Tomatoes - I prefer to use canned cherry tomatoes as they tend to have a more intense flavour than regular chopped tomatoes. If you can't get them then you can use regular chopped tomatoes.
- Pasta - Almost all pasta will work with this recipe. I've used Pennoni Rigati for this recipe, this past is a larger version of penne. The size and ridges in this pasta allow it to absorb sauces better, it's especially good for thicker sauces.
- Extras - I also added slow-roasted tomatoes in this recipe to add more of an intense tomato flavour. You will find these in the deli section of your supermarket, canned or jarred sundried tomatoes will also work. I also used red pesto to up the flavour, just make sure your pesto is vegetarian, you can easily swap this for tomato puree (tomato paste) if you can't find a veggie pesto.
🍽 How to Make Tomato and Mascarpone Pasta
1. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large deep-sided pan. Add the chopped shallots and sauté for 10 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in the minced garlic, oregano, red chilli flakes and parsley and cook for another minute.
3. Pour in the cherry tomatoes, add the sundried tomatoes, red pesto or tomato puree(tomato paste). Pour in 2-3 tablespoons of the pasta water and stir well. Season with salt and black pepper. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced.
4. Stir the mascarpone into the tomato sauce until fully melted and creamy.
5. Then add the grated Grana Padano and the chopped basil.
6. Finally, add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen it slightly. Check the seasoning again, then serve with a garnish of fresh basil leaves, grated Grana Padano, and a sprinkle of chilli flakes if you like.
👩🍳 Recipe Tips & Variations
- Add veggies: Stir in some roasted mixed vegetables, a mix of roasted aubergine, courgette and red onions works very well.
- Add leafy greens: Add a handful of spinach at the last minute of cooking for extra flavour and nutrients.
- Vegan-friendly swap: Use a dairy-free mascarpone alternative and vegan parmesan cheese.
- Swap the pasta - you can use almost any pasta for this recipe; you could substitute the penne for tortellini or gnocchi.
- Got leftover mascarpone? make this creamy red pesto pasta recipe.
📌 Storage & Reheating
If you do have any leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water or cream to loosen the sauce.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Mascarpone is a rich, creamy Italian cheese, it is similar in texture to cream cheese but milder and slightly sweet. It’s often used in desserts like tiramisu, but it makes a luxurious addition to pasta sauces. It comes in a tub and you can find it in the cheese section in all large supermarkets.
Yes, you can. I would use 400g of ripe, fresh cherry tomatoes. You may need to simmer the sauce a little longer for the tomatoes to break down and the sauce to thicken.
This pasta dish is best enjoyed fresh. I would avoid freezing this as mascarpone can separate when frozen. If you do freeze it, expect a slightly altered texture on reheating.
🍽 Serve With:
Easy Air Fryer Cheesy Garlic Bread
More Quick and Easy Pasta Recipes
Sundried Tomato Pasta with Spinach
Find More Pasta Recipes Here:
Tomato and Mascarpone Pasta
Ingredients
- 350 g (5½ cups) Pennoni Rigato dry weight, other types of pasta will work just the same. Please be aware when measuring in cups that this is a large pasta, other types of pasta may measure in less cup quantities.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 Echalion shallots (banana shallots) finely diced
- 3 cloves of garlic finely minced or put through a garlic press
- ½ tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes optional
- 6 slow-roasted sun-dried tomatoes roughly chopped
- 1 heaped tbsp red pesto use tomato puree if you can't find red pesto
- 1 400g (1 x 14oz) can of cherry tomatoes
- 150 g (¾ cup) mascarpone
- 30 g (¼ cup) of Pano Gradano finely grated, you can use other hard Italian cheese if you wish.
- A small handful of fresh basil save some leaves for garnish and roughly chop the rest
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground sea salt + more for cooking the pasta
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to the package's instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water before draining.
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep-sided pan. Add the chopped shallots and sauté for 10 minutes, until soft and translucent.Stir in the minced garlic, oregano, red chilli flakes and parsley and cook for another minute.
- Pour in the cherry tomatoes, add the sundried tomatoes, red pesto or tomato puree(tomato paste). Pour in 2-3 tablespoons of the pasta water and stir well. Season with salt and black pepper. Let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced.
- Stir the mascarpone into the tomato sauce until fully melted and creamy. Then add the grated Grana Padano and the chopped basil. Stir again until the cheese has melted.
- Finally, add the cooked pasta to the sauce and toss to coat. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water to loosen it slightly. Check the seasoning again, then serve with a garnish of fresh basil leaves, grated Grana Padano, and a sprinkle of chilli flakes if you like.
Notes
- Pasta - I have used a large pasta called Pennoni Rigata for this recipe but most types of pasta will work well.
- Shallots - Because of their mild slightly sweet flavour shallots are best for this recipe as they don't overwhelm the smoothness of the sauce. You can use a regular onion if you wish but please be aware it may slightly alter the flavour.
- Canned Cherry Tomatoes - I have used cherry tomatoes here as they have a more intense flavour but you can use regular chopped tomatoes if you can't find canned cherry tomatoes.
- Nutritional Information - All nutritional information shared is an estimate based on third-party calculations. If calorie count and/or nutritional values are important to you, we recommend putting the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary depending on which brands were used. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods and portion sizes per household.
- Weights and measurements - For US readers, I use Cuisipro measuring cups and spoons, and a Pyrex measuring jug for liquids. These are the industry standard. Cup/spoon volumes can differ from brand to brand, for accuracy, I recommend weighing all ingredients if possible for the best results.
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