Red sauce pasta recipe – Pasta in red sauce recipe. Healthy & delicious kids’ friendly pasta that can be made for after school or dinner. An easy idea to include tomatoes and red bell pepper in your kids’ diet. Pasta in red sauce recipe is usually made using only tomatoes. Mostly canned tomatoes or tomato paste/ puree is used to get the bright color.
The red sauce I have made for this pasta recipe uses red bell pepper along with tomatoes. But can be substituted with onions. For variation you can also check this vegetable pasta in red sauce.
Making this red sauce pasta recipe entirely using only tomatoes will make it very tangy. So you can use either onions or bell peppers. If you are looking for ideas to include bell pepper in your diet, then surely this is a good one. Earlier I have also made this with chicken and shrimps too. It tastes great that way too. Details included in the notes at the end of this post.
Roasting the tomatoes before blending makes this pasta more flavorful and delicious.
More Pasta recipes,
Masala pasta
White sauce pasta
Pasta payasam
Pasta soup
Chicken pasta.
Red sauce pasta recipe for toddlers & kids
Red sauce pasta recipe | Pasta in red sauce recipe for kids & toddlers
Ingredients (240 ml cup used)
- 1 ½ cups pasta (any)
- 2 to 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt as needed
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp onions finely chopped
- 1 ½ cups tomatoes ripe red chopped
- 1 ¼ cup red bell peppers or red capsicum or ½ to ¾ cup onions
- ½ to 1 tsp red chili flakes (adjust as needed)
- ½ to 1 tsp oregano
- pepper freshly crushed for garnish
How to make the recipe
Preparation for red sauce pasta
Roast onions or bell peppers in 1 tbsp oil for 3 mins on a high flame. Transfer to a plate to cool.
- Roast tomatoes until mushy for about 3 mins. Cool this as well.
- Blend them together to a puree. Set aside.
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. Cook pasta with salt until al dente (just cooked).
- Drain off and rinse them. Drain in a colander. Set aside.
How to make red sauce pasta
- Heat the same pan with more oil and fry garlic and chili flakes until aromatic.
- Add onions and saute until golden.
- Pour the puree and add salt.
- Mix well and cook until it reaches a desired consistency. Make sure the sauce is not watery. Taste the sauce and adjust salt as needed. Add oregano.
- Off the stove and add the pasta. Toss well until mixed.
Serve hot pasta in red sauce.
Recipe Notes
If using prawns: You can add about 125 to 150 grams of fresh cleaned tiger prawns after sauteing garlic, onions. Saute until they get cooked. They swirl completely when done. Set them aside without removing onions or garlic. Add them back to the pan along with cooked pasta.
If using chicken: Cook 150 grams of boneless chicken separately until tender, shred and then add it after sauteing garlic, onions.
How to make red sauce pasta recipe
1. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Saute bell peppers or onions on a high flame just for 2 mins. You can also skip bell peppers and use onion. The taste would be different but good. Set them aside to cool.
2. To the same pan, add ripe tomatoes and saute for 2 to 3 mins.
3. Tomatoes must turn soft. Add red chili flakes as needed. Set this aside to cool.
4. When cooled, add them to a blender jar.
5. Blend to a smooth or coarse paste. We prefer smooth. Set this aside.
6. While you make the sauce, you can bring 2 liters water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt as needed.
7. When the water comes to a boil, add pasta. Cook al dente following the instructions on the pack.
8. Drain off in a colander and rinse to remove extra starch.
9. Put back the same pan on the stove with another 1 tbsp oil. When hot saute garlic and red chili flakes until they turn fragrant.
10. Add chopped onions.
11. Saute until the raw smell goes away.
12. Add the puree and salt. Mix and cook on a medium heat until the sauce thickens.
13. This is the consistency i prefer, you can even take off a little earlier. Add oregano. Mix well. Off the stove.
14. Add the cooked pasta. I prefer another tbsp olive oil now. This is optional.
15. Saute until well combined.
Add crushed pepper. Serve pasta in red sauce hot.
Jithu says
Thank you very much swasthi.
Jithu says
Hi swasthi
Is there any replacement for chilli flakes bcoz i donot have them with me.
Hope u can reply asap
swasthi says
Hi Jithu,
You can use red chili if you have otherwise little chilli powder. If you have red chilies you can just pulse them in a mixer jar or cut with kitchen scissor to make your own chili flakes. Thanks for rating the recipe.
brinda says
Instead of sauce can I use readymade Marinara sauce with the same recipe. Also please post some dishes using Marinara sauce
swasthi says
Hi Brinda
Yes you can use but not sure how much to add. So start with a lesser quantity. Yes i will share recipes using marinara sauce.
Rochelle D'souza says
A big thank you . god bless you. All the recepies that I have tried hav been a big hit .
swasthi says
You are welcome Rochelle D’souza!
Thanks a lot for the wishes.
🙂
Anuprita says
I tried this recipe today.. And it was yummmm…. Thank you for nice recipe… I was searching for nice recipe for pasta in red sauce.. And yours turn out so well… Thanks again..
swasthi says
Welcome Anuprita
Glad to know you liked it. Thanks a lot for the comment.
🙂
Anuprita says
Can I get recipe for Pesto sauce??
swasthi says
Hi Anuprita,
I have this peanut pesto pasta and this almond mint pesto pasta. IF you want to use the sauce for some other recipe, then just skip making pasta. Hope this helps.
Sweta Prabhu says
Hi I want to make pink sauce pasta ..if I use this recipes and make white sauce and mix both..IL get pink sauce right?
swasthi says
Hi Sweta,
Red sauce is made with tomatoes and white sauce with milk. Milk and tomatoes don’t go well for digestion. It may upset the tummy after eating.
Aparna says
Was it supposed to be a joke?
Even if not, it was funny 😁
Shreelaxmi says
I want to know is this pasta is made up of rawa/suji or maida?
swasthi says
Hi ShreeLaxmi,
Pasta I have used is made of durum wheat. But in the market you can find them made with whole wheat, wheat, quinoa, semolina/ suji, brown rice etc
Tharika says
Very nice recipe…came out excellent…its a keeper for sure…thank you!
swasthi says
Welcome Tharika
Thanks for the comment
S says
Hi can the pasta sauce be stored in fridge for a day ? I
swasthi says
Yes you can store it
S says
Thank you.