This Gemelli Pasta with Tomato Sauce is hearty, delicious, and so easy to make. You are going to love the combination of flavors in this simple pasta dish.
This dish is perfectly simple, which is one good reason you should add it to your meal plan. But another great reason is the amazing flavors packed into this Gemelli Pasta with Tomato Sauce. The sauce is rich and layered with flavors of garlic, basil, and onion. Sugar adds a touch of sweetness and butter gives it a rich and creamy finish. This is no basic sauce.
This pasta recipe is versatile enough to be tweaked and changed to fit your personal preferences or what you might have on hand in your kitchen. It’s also great with other dishes and sides, so you can easily pair it with family favorites. This Gemelli Pasta in Tomato Sauce is just what you need in your repertoire. Now let’s look at what you’ll need to make it.
Video Tutorial
Main Ingredients
- Gemelli Pasta.
- Olive Oil.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Red Pepper Flakes.
- Crushed Tomatoes.
- Dried Basil.
- Salt.
- Sugar.
- Butter.
How to Make Gemelli Pasta with Tomato Sauce
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously season with salt. Add the pasta and cook according to the package instructions. (Gemelli usually cooks in 9 minutes).
2. To a large skillet, add the olive oil and onions and cook for about 5-7 minutes over medium heat until the onions soften nicely.
3. Now add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir, and cook for a minute.
4. At this point, add the crushed tomatoes, dried basil, salt, and sugar. Cook for about 5-10 minutes. Stir the butter into the tomato sauce.
5. Lastly, add the cooked pasta and mix everything well. Thin the sauce with pasta water, if needed.
Helpful Tips & Tricks
- Add salt to the pasta water. If you salt the pasta with water, the flavor of the salt will infuse into the pasta as it cooks. This works much better than adding salt at the end.
- Reserve some pasta water. If you decide that your tomato sauce is too thick, this starchy leftover water is great for adding to it to thin out the sauce.
- Cook the pasta al dente. Cook the Gemelli pasta until it’s al dente so that when it is added to the hot tomato sauce, it won’t overcook and become mushy.
- Let the garlic and onions cook longer. These two ingredients need time to cook and soften longer than the other sauce ingredients because this is when they become their most flavorful and aromatic.
Variations to this Recipe
- Make it vegan. All you’ll need to do is substitute plant-based butter in the recipe to make it vegan-friendly.
- Substitute another type of pasta. You can use any type of pasta you like, including fusilli, bowtie, rotini, or cavatappi.
- Use different tomatoes. If you haven’t got crushed tomatoes, then you can make this with tomato sauce. You can add diced tomatoes to give it some texture.
- Add vegetables. Make this sauce with some spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, or kale for added flavor.
How to Store and Reheat it
You can store any leftover Gemelli Pasta with Tomato Sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator once it has cooled. It will last for about 4 days. Reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
What to Serve this Gemelli Pasta with Tomato Sauce with
- Bread. Serve this delicious pasta with some crusty toasted bread and whipped butter. This Potato Flatbread and Air Fryer Garlic Bread are great choices.
- Proteins. Top your plate of Gemelli Pasta with Tomato Sauce with some Old Bay Steamed Shrimp, Spinach Stuffed Flounder, Air Fryer Pork Chops, or Easy Chicken Kebabs.
- Salad. Start the meal with your favorite salad, or try this Creamy Cucumber Salad, Amazing Kale Salad, Iceberg Lettuce Salad, or Cucumber Tomato Feta Salad.
- Soup. Serve it with a bowl of Red Lentil Soup with Bacon, Turkey Cabbage Soup, Hearty Mushroom Soup, or Moroccan Chickpea Soup.
This Gemelli Pasta with Tomato Sauce is such a delicious, easy, and hearty dish. With great flavors, simple ingredients, and lots of conveniences, it’s sure to be a family favorite in no time. Enjoy!
More tasty pasta recipes:
Gemelli Pasta with Tomato Sauce
This Gemelli Pasta with Tomato Sauce is hearty, delicious, and so easy to make. You are going to love the combination of flavors in this simple pasta dish.
Ingredients
- 10 oz. gemelli pasta
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
- 14 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp. dried basil or oregano
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. butter
Notes
Variations to this Recipe
- Make it vegan. All you’ll need to do is substitute plant-based butter in the recipe to make it vegan-friendly.
- Substitute another type of pasta. You can use any type of pasta you like, including fusilli, bowtie, rotini, or cavatappi.
- Use different tomatoes. If you haven’t got crushed tomatoes, then you can make this with tomato sauce. You can add diced tomatoes to give it some texture.
- Add vegetables. Make this sauce with some spinach, mushrooms, bell peppers, or kale for added flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 451kcalCarbohydrates: 75gProtein: 14gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 1058mgPotassium: 1235mgFiber: 7gSugar: 15gVitamin A: 1706IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 87mgIron: 5mg
