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A bowl of Mascarpone Tomato Pasta on a white background.
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5 from 3 votes

Mascarpone Pasta (with a Creamy Tomato Sauce)

A delightfully smooth, silky and creamy tomato and mascarpone pasta sauce that you can whip up in less than 30 minutes.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4
Calories: 501kcal
Author: Helen

Equipment

  • 1 large frying pan

Ingredients

  • 400 g dried pasta (Note 1)
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • 400 ml tomato puree (passata) (Note 2)
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste (puree)
  • 200 ml chicken or veg stock
  • anchovy paste or salt to taste (Note 4)
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar optional
  • 1.5 tsp oregano (Note 5)
  • 1.5 tsp sugar
  • 110 g mascarpone (Note 3)
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice (Note 6)
  • 1 large handful torn fresh basil

To serve (optional)

  • freshly grated Parmesan
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Bring a large pan of generously salted water to boil and cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
  • Heat a large pan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until softened, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.
  • Pour in the tomato passata, tomato puree and stock.
  • Add the anchovy paste (or salt), black pepper, balsamic vinegar, dried oregano, and sugar. Simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • It's likely the pasta will be done at this point. Make sure you reserve a little of the pasta water before draining it.
  • Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the mascarpone, chopped fresh basil and lemon juice.
  • Toss in the pasta, add 1-2 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water if needed, and serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and black pepper.

Notes

  1. Pasta: I tend to opt for long pasta varieties like tagliatelle and linguine, but shorter varieties can also work well. 
  2. Tomato puree (passata): You can use tinned chopped tomatoes instead but the sauce will have a chunkier texture.
  3. Mascarpone: You should be able to find mascarpone in the dairy section of your local supermarket or store. You can use the same volume of heavy cream instead but the sauce will not be as rich and silky.
  4. Anchovy paste: Optional but great for adding salty umami flavour, but you can use salt instead. I recommend adding salt to taste because the amount needed can vary depending on how salty your stock is.
  5. Oregano: you can use fresh instead of dried at a ratio of three to one. (e.g. 3 teaspoons of fresh for every teaspoon of dried)
  6. Lemon juice: 1 tablespoon of lemon juice is roughly equivalent to ½ lemon.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 501kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 152mg | Potassium: 600mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 449IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 104mg | Iron: 3mg