Uncle Bill's Pasta With a Vegetarian Tomato Sauce

Submitted by William Uncle Bill

"My DW will not eat pasta that has any meat in the sauce. It took me several tries until I came up with a sauce that she thoroughly enjoys. This is a very simple and easy recipe to make and is very tasty."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 43mins
• Ingredients: 19
• Serves: 2-4

ingredients

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 3⁄4 cup finely chopped onion
• 1⁄2 cup finely diced sweet red pepper
• 1⁄2 cup finley diced green pepper
• 1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes, mashed, include liquid
• 1 (5 1/2 ounce) can tomato paste
• 4 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon italian seasoning mix
• 1⁄4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil for cooking pasta
• 1 tablespoon salt for cooking pasta
• 4 ounces uncooked rigatoni pasta
• 5 ounces uncooked bow tie pasta
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1⁄2 cup padano cheese, divided

directions

1. In a large saucepan or frying pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and saute for 4 minutes, stirring often, do not burn.
3. Add red and green pepper and saute for another 4 minutes, stirring often.
4. Add tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, basil, dried oregano, Italian herb seasoning, red hot pepper flakes, salt and pepper; stir to mix.
5. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Remove cover and continue to simmer for another 20 minutes or until sauce begins to thicken slightly. When slightly thickened, remove from heat and set aside.
7. Meanwhile, in a large cooking pot or a pasta pot, fill 3/4 full with hot water and bring to boil.
8. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of salt.
9. Add rigatoni and cook for 15 minutes, stirring once during cooking.
10. Add bow-tie pasta and continue to cook for another 15 minutes or until both pastas are el dente.
11. When pasta is cooked, reserve 1 cup of pasta liquid and set aside.
12. Drain the pasta and return to the cooking pot.
13. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1/4 cup of grated Padano cheese and toss to coat well.
14. If pasta appears to be too dry, add a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water.
15. You may now add the tomato mixture to the pasta pot and mix well to coat, or ladle the pasta into individual serving plates and then add the tomato mixture over the top.
16. Sprinkle with additional grated Padano cheese if desired.

Reviews

[Bev I Am]

Oh My, Uncle Bill!! You really out did yourself on this one!! What a fantastic sauce! My husband and I both enjoyed this so much this evening! I made as directed with the only change to be adding some sauteed fresh mushrooms. This is one recipe I am sure to use again and again. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your creation with us!! Delicious!

 

[TasteTester]

This recipe has been included in book#246531. Superb! This was only my third time making homemade sauce, and this is by far head and shoulders above the rest. It has the perfect proportions of ingredients; it's not too acidic and the spices don't overpower the taste of this sauce. I added some mushrooms I needed to use up, but other than that made the recipe exactly as written. I didn't get to try the pasta as I was looking for a sauce to make baked ziti with, but I'll try that part of the recipe when I make this again. No more jarred sauces for me, and I don't need to try any more recipes for homemade tomato sauce. This is the only one I'll use from now on. Thanks, Uncle Bill, for posting this fantastic recipe.

 

[Is This Really Nece]

This has become one of my favourite pasta sauces. Very easy to make, and delicious!

 

[Sammijo]

Another simply wonderful recipe Uncle Bill. I also did not use the pasta. Instead I used the sauce in making eggplant parmesean. I loved this sauce so much I trippled the recipe and canned it for future use. I'm certain it would freeze well for those fortunate enough to have a large freezer. Thanks for posting this great recipe !! Oh.. and thank the DW for her inspiration.