Creamy Pasta with Homemade Marinara Sauce [Recipe]

This is one of my favorite pasta recipes. It's easy to make and you probably have all the ingredients that you need already in your kitchen. Of course, pasta is well liked everywhere, and I think that this version of marinara sauce that goes with the Spaghetti is just perfect.

You can omit the cream (but why would you?) in the marinara sauce and have a regular marinara sauce. It's not much cream though, and all in all this is not a heavy dish. 

Also, I want to touch upon some rules when making pasta, that most people overlook. But more on that later in this post.

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For the sauce I use a combination of chopped tomatoes and sieved tomatoes (or pureed tomatoes). To cut the acidity that comes from the tomatoes I use a good squirt of ketchup, which adds some sweetness.

 You can make this with any shape of pasta that you like.

It's important to let the sauce cook for at least 20 minutes. That way all the ingredients can blend together. Really, the longer it cooks, the better it gets.

Halfway through the cooking of the sauce, get your pasta ready for cooking.

5 Tips for Perfect Pasta

1. Boil your Water in a Kettle
This is really just a quick tip, to make things faster. Your electric kettle can boil water faster, then it would in a large pot. I fill mine up, and heat the pot on the stove at the same time  (with a little bit of water in the pot on the stove). This makes boiling water very quick.

2. Use a lot of Water
Make sure to cover your pot almost to the top, This gives the pasta (which will plump up when cooking) more place to cook in. 

3. Salt your Water after it has come to the boil
If you follow step 1 this will be no issue for you. Don't add salt to the water when it's cold, simply because it will take longer to come to the boil. Add the salt when the water is bubbling! 

4. Reserve some of the Pasta Cooking Water

Don't drain the water in which your  pasta has been cooking in completely. Reserve some of it. This water is full of starch, and it will make, whatever sauce your cooking thick, glossy and stick to the pasta! 

5. Don't rinse your cooked Pasta with Water

We all have probably done this before. After the cooked pasta is drained, we rinse it with water. Don't do this, because, as in tip 4, you will remove the starch from the pasta, and make it harder to adhere to the sauce.

You add the cream in the end (this is optional for the marinara sauce), and just heat it through.

After your spaghetti are drained, add them to the saucepan with the sauce, mix them, and then clamp on a lid on your saucepan and let it sit for 5 minutes. It will transform the whole dish! You should do this with any pasta or risotto!

Creamy Pasta with Homemade Marinara Sauce Recipe

Ingredients
- 250 gr (9 ounces) of pasta (I use Spaghetti in this version)
- 250 ml (1 cup) chopped tomatoes
- 250 ml (1 cup) sieved or pureed tomatoes
- 60 ml (1/4 cup) ketchup
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon of dried basil (if you are using fresh add 3 tablespoons)
- 1 tablespoon of dried oregano (if you are using fresh add 3 tablespoons)
- 1 teaspoon dried garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- 125 ml (1/2 cup) cream

Method
1. Saute the onion with some oil in a saucepan until it becomes translucent, for about 7 minutes
2. Add the various tomatoes and ketchup, as well as the basil, oregano, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Let it come to a boil and cook for 20 minutes on low heat.
3. While the sauce is cooking, prepare your pasta according to the package instructions.
4. Add some of the pasta cooking water (i use 60 ml (1/4 cup) of it) to the marinara sauce.
5. In the end, add the cream to the marinara sauce and stir it in. Cook until the cream heats through.
6. Combine the pasta with the sauce. Clamp a lid on the saucepan they are in and let it sit for a couple of minutes.
7. Garnish with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and basil, and serve warm!

Enjoy your Sunday, and I hope you'll make this wonderful dish.

Come back tomorrow for something sweet! :)