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Toasted pasta with smoky tomato sauce

Name: Toasted pasta with smoky tomato sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 1 bay leaf; 1 tsp smoked paprika; 1 tbsp caster sugar; ½ tsp Marmite; 300g dried penne or other short tubular pasta; 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; Basil leaves to serve

By: Emily Gussin
Food producer and sustainability lead, delicious.

Published: 18 Mar 25
Updated: 18 Mar 25

Have you ever toasted your pasta? Try it in this simple vegan pasta recipe with smoky tomato sauce. Dried pasta can be toasted before cooking to draw out its nutty taste. Just a few minutes in a pan deepens the flavour, but to take it to the next level you want to roast the pasta in the oven until it turns a deep golden and starts to blister. You then boil it as normal.

The nutty toasted penne is then tossed with a Marmite and paprika-spiked tomato sauce for a serious upgrade on pasta pomodoro.

Browse more easy vegan recipes.

Easy
March 2025

Test kitchen approved

Serves 4
Prep time 5 min. Cook time 30 min

The nutty toasted penne is then tossed with a Marmite and paprika-spiked tomato sauce for a serious upgrade on pasta pomodoro.

Browse more easy vegan recipes.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 406kcals
Fat: 11g (1.5g saturated)
Protein: 12g
Carbohydrates: 63g (12g sugars)
Fibre: 4.7g
Salt: 0.4g

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Ingredients

2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp caster sugar
½ tsp Marmite
300g dried penne or other short tubular pasta
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Basil leaves to serve

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Method

Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Put the plum tomatoes, garlic, bay leaf, paprika, sugar and Marmite in a large, high-sided roasting tin, then season with salt and black pepper. Mix well, then bake in the oven for 10 minutes.
Spread the pasta on a baking tray so it’s in one layer. Give the tomato mixture a stir, mashing up any large chunks, then add the tray of pasta to the oven. Roast for 10 minutes until the pasta is a rich golden colour. Meanwhile, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil.
Continue roasting the tomatoes while you boil the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, but check if it’s cooked 1 minute before the end – it might need more time (see Know How). When the pasta is cooked, use a slotted spoon to lift it into the tray of tomato sauce, taking some of the pasta water with it. Stir vigorously to coat the pasta in the sauce. Drizzle with the olive oil and stir again. Serve topped with basil leaves.

Recipe from March 2025 Issue

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving

Calories: 406kcals
Fat: 11g (1.5g saturated)
Protein: 12g
Carbohydrates: 63g (12g sugars)
Fibre: 4.7g
Salt: 0.4g

delicious. tips

Next time Toasting pasta is a simple way to boost your dishes, especially if you’re already turning the oven on to make the sauce. Try it with any roasted vegetable pasta sauce.
Toasting the pasta can alter the time it takes to boil. If you’re using a pasta made using bronze dies, it may take the full cook time or an extra minute. If you’re using a standard machine-cut pasta, it may take 1-2 minutes less as the thinner pasta walls will have started cooking during toasting.