POV: You’ve had a long day. You haven’t planned dinner. Your fresh ingredients are virtually out. Your attention span is limited, and you want something simple and comforting. This is for you: Make the simplest of all pasta recipes with this 3-Ingredient umami packed Tomato-Sauce.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
It’s pantry based, no need for fresh produce. This 3-ingredient frugal vegan pasta with umami tomato sauce doesn’t require you to hit the stores or have anything ready in the fridge.
It’s simple and easy, no cooking skills required. This recipe is simple and doesn’t require great handiwork in the kitchen. It really only requires you to cut an onion, that’s it.
It’s frugal, your wallet will love this. It comes together in a pinch and is a great recipe for a small budget. Even if you do use higher quality ingredients, it still comes together in under a dollar or euro a serving per person.
How to get the most of this recipe:
Use high quality pasta – If you want great taste, go for pasta made from semolina flour. Especially since this recipe is made from such few ingredients, using high quality ingredients really makes a difference for the taste. If health is more important to you, switch to whole wheat or gluten-free pasta options.
Use high quality olive oil – The oil used in a dish really dictates the taste flavour, this recipe draws its flavour from sautéed onions in good olive oil.
Use 2x-concentrated tomato purée rather than canned tomatoes. Tomatoes naturally contain umami. Use concentrated tomato purée to get the most umami for your buck.
Ingredients
- Semolina Pasta of your choice – I prefer Rigatoni Pasta by Barilla because the sauce is quite thick. Barilla is a European brand, but any will do if you don’t want to spend on this.
- 2- or 3 Tubes of 2x concentrated tomato purée
- 1 large or two medium onions, preferably red
Pantry Items
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil – if you are worried about sautéing in olive oil choose a neutral cooking oil.
- Plenty of salt
- A pinch of sugar – if you’re looking for a healthy option, add half a teaspoon of honey or honey-garlic ferment instead.
Tools you may need
- large pot with lid for boiling pasta
- Large skillet or pan for the sauce
- Cutting Board
How to make 3-Ingredient Frugal Vegan Pasta
- Set the large pot on your stove and heat a large amount of water for the pasta. The water should cover the pasta fully, so don’t skimp on this. Cover the pot with the lid to minimize the time to boil.
- Set up the pan or skillet and cover the bottom with olive oil. Turn the stove onto low heat so the oil warms slowly.
- Meanwhile, prepare the large onion by halving it and cutting it into rings or pieces. The size of your onions pieces does not matter, but do watch out for a relatively uniform size. This will help all the onions to sauté evenly.
- Add the cut onions to the pan with the warm olive oil. Turn the heat to medium to low. Let the onions turn fragrant and glassy, slowly turning when necessary. Watch out: If your heat is too high, you will have burnt raw onions, which leave you with a bitter taste in your sauce. If you do burn your onions, I suggest starting again.
- Turn the onions over continuously until they begin to caramelize and turn golden and fragrant. They should have evaporated most of their water, and you should smell the distinct smell of olive oil and onion after 10–15 minutes.
- By this time, the water in the large pot should be boiling. Add your pasta and very generously season with salt. You should add at least 3-4 teaspoons of salt. Do not skimp on the salt, because the pasta only spends a short amount of time in the water, it’s important that the water is properly salted. There’s nothing worse than saltless pasta!
- Immediately following this, add the concentrated tomato purée to the sautéed onions, they should be almost caramelized by this point. If the mixture is too thick, add the least possible amount of water to make sure the mixture does not stick to your pan.
- Once your pasta is al dente, that means almost ready, take the large pot with the boiling pasta and pour a swig of the pasta liquid into the sauce. Strain the rest of the pasta and set aside.
- Taste your tomato sauce and add sugar to offset the acidity of the tomatoes. Adjust salt and sweetness to taste.
- Serve immediately with Parmesan or national yeast or roasted crushed cashews.
Swaps and Alternatives
Use honey garlic ferment instead of sugar – this will give you a deeper flavour and the added health benefits of honey and fermented foods.
Use whole wheat or lentil pasta – this will make your pasta dish far more nutritious but less frugal.
Layer Umami with Parmesan or nutritional yeast – Parmesan is costly but unbeatable as an immediate umami kick. If you’re plant based, use nutritional yeast or crushed roasted cashews.
Top with frozen peas or fresh herbs for extra nutrition and flavour.
How to store 3-Ingredient frugal vegan pasta
Because both the sauce and the pasta have a relatively low water content and are free of animal products, they keep well in the fridge. This is great leftover food for the next day. I would not recommend reheating this dish because the pasta might turn soggy.
Did you try this recipe? I would love to hear your thoughts!
3-Ingredient Frugal Pasta with Vegan Umami Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- 1 Large pot for the pasta
- 1 Skillet or non-stick frying pan
Ingredients
- 500 Gram Semolina Pasta of your choice I prefer Rigatoni Pata by Barilla because the sauce is quite thick. Barilla is a European brand, but any will do if you don't want to spend on this.
- 1 Tube Concentrated Tomato paste or puree
- 1 Large Onion
Pantry Items
- 1 Swig Extra virgin olive oil If you are worried about sautéing in olive oil choose a neutral vegetable cooking oil.
- 1/4 Cup Salt This is for salting the pasta
- 1 Pinch of Sugar If you're looking for a healthy option, add half a teaspoon of honey or honey-garlic ferment instead.
Instructions
- Set the large pot on your stove and heat a large amount of water for the pasta. The water should cover the pasta fully, so don't skimp on this. Cover the pot with the lid to minimize the time to boil.
- Set up the pan or skillet and cover the bottom with olive oil. Turn the stove onto low heat so the oil warms slowly.
- Meanwhile, prepare the large onion by halving it and cutting it into rings or pieces. The size of your onions pieces does not matter but do watch out for a relatively uniform size. This will help all the onions to sauté evenly.
- Add the cut onions to the pan with the warm olive oil. Turn the heat to medium to low. Let the onions turn fragrant and glassy slowly turning when necessary. Watch out: If your heat is too high you will have burnt raw onions, which leave you with a bitter taste in your sauce. If you do burn your onions I suggest starting again.
- Turn the onions over continuously until they begin to caramelize and turn golden and fragrant. They should have evaporated most of their water and you should smell the distinct smell of olive oil and onion after 10-15 minutes.
- By this time the water in the large pot should be boiling. Add your pasta and very generously season with salt. You should add at least 3-4 teas spoons of salt. Do not skimp on the salt, because the pasta only spends a short amount of time in the water it's important that the water is properly salted. There's nothing worse than saltless pasta!
- Immediately following this, add the concentrated tomato puree to the sautéed onions, they should be almost caramelized by this point. If the mixture is too thick add the least possible amount of water to make sure the mixture does not stick to your pan.
- Once your pasta is al dente, that means almost ready, take the large pot with the boiling pasta and pour a swig of the pasta liquid into the sauce. Strain the rest of the pasta and set aside.
- Taste your tomato sauce and add sugar to offset the acidity of the tomatoes. Adjust salt and sweetness to taste.
- Serve immediately with Parmesan or nutritional yeast or roasted crushed cashews.