The 20-Minute Formula
For busy weekdays, I am always looking for dinner recipes that are easy to prepare, tasty to the core, and come together in under 30 minutes. This red sauce spaghetti recipe rainchecks all the mentioned criteria of my favourite weeknight dinner. It is nothing fancy but a simple combination of freshly boiled pasta and tomato sauce with an addition of garlic and shrimp. This red sauce spaghetti comes together in 20 minutes with a bottle of pasta sauce in the refrigerator. It takes lesser time to get ready than home delivery from a restaurant. That is the reason it is one of my favourite comfort food.
Tomato Sauce
The key ingredient in this red sauce spaghetti recipe is tomato sauce. I always have a bottle of a multi-purpose tomato pizza and pasta sauce sitting in the refrigerator. For this 20-minute pasta recipe, it is a saviour.
You can make this tomato sauce from scratch for this red sauce spaghetti or prepare a batch while meal-prepping. You can store it in the refrigerator for 3 – 5 days.
Now, if you have a readymade bottle of marinara sauce, arrabbiata sauce, or basic tomato pizza sauce, that works perfectly fine.
With the addition of boiled pasta water, the sauce reaches the perfect consistency and clings to the spaghetti. You can transform this red sauce spaghetti into a pink sauce pasta using full-fat heavy cream instead of boiled pasta water. Isn’t that cool?
Ingredients Required
The ingredient list for this red sauce spaghetti recipe is pretty basic. Pasta: From spaghetti, penne, rigatoni, and tagliatelle to rotini or tiny shell pasta, all of these taste good with a robust tomato sauce. I often make another version of red sauce pasta with penne which tastes delicious. Tomato Sauce: Marinara, arrabbiata, or basic tomato sauce for pizza and pasta Shrimp: Shrimps or prawns both work in this pasta recipe. You can add grilled chicken as well instead of seafood. Boiled Pasta Water: It gives the desired consistency to the tomato sauce. You can use vegetable stock instead of boiled pasta water. Garlic: It adds a great taste to the red sauce spaghetti Seasoning: Italian herbs like oregano, thyme, sage, fresh basil leaves, salt, pepper Gourmet Touch: A generous sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
How To Make
Step 1) Boil spaghetti pasta till al dente. Reserve 1 cup of boiled pasta water and drain the rest. Step 2) Heat olive oil, saute garlic, chilli flakes (optional), and herbs for a few seconds. Add shrimp and saute till cooked. Step 3) Add tomato sauce, salt, pepper, boiled pasta water, and SIMMER for 2 – 3 minutes. Step 4) Add pasta, MIX, drizzle olive oil and sprinkle fresh herbs. ENJOY!
Watch Veg Red Sauce Spaghetti Video
Serving suggestion
Serve red sauce spaghetti with toasted garlic bread or focaccia as sides. A light green salad, garlic roasted potatoes, or grilled broccoli are also nice ideas for the side dishes.
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