Plant Based Chunky Tomato and Garlic pasta

I made this recipe purely because I had no food in the house and was very hungry. I remember making a spaghetti bolognese a long time ago; however, as I no longer eat meat, I made this without the meat and stumbled across a staple recipe.

This Chunky Tomato Garlic Pasta is great for all the family, and you can easily make it your own by adding different spices or adding lentils. It's for you to play around with to make it a delicious meal for you.

My recipes are all for one person, my son does try some of my meals, which is great because I don’t have to waste food if he doesn’t like it, but also, if he does like it, I can add the recipe to meals we can have together.

If you want to make this meal for your family or just for you and your partner, adjust the amount you need, or you could make a big batch and freeze some of it for another time (which I often do).

As I mentioned before, this recipe has very few ingredients. Actually, it only has five ingredients.

Ingredients:

Pasta: I use whole grain spaghetti pasta. However, if you want to use a different pasta, it will work just the same. Whole grain is slightly less processed and personally doesn’t affect my body as much. Use what you like or have in the cupboard.

Onions: I use red onions as I enjoy them much more than white onions, plus red onions don’t make me cry as much. You can use any onions you prefer or use what is more available to you.

Chopped Tomatoes: A tin of chopped tomatoes costs around 40p, and I always have a tin in my cupboard. However, if you don’t have them but do have some tomatoes, you can mash them or chop them into small pieces instead.

Herbs: The last two are garlic and basil. If you prefer to use fresh garlic and fresh basil, you can. As a solo parent on a budget, I use ground garlic and basil. Again, use what you prefer or have available.

As I said, this is the simplest, quickest, and easiest meal to throw together when you are short on time, and it is absolutely delicious.

Cook the pasta in boiling water. To make it cook faster, I usually boil the kettle and use boiling water rather than wait for the water to boil, plus it saves on electricity or gas.

While the pasta is cooking, chop the red onion into big chunks and fry off in a tablespoon of water until slightly soft. Add the tinned chopped tomatoes and cook through.

Add the garlic and basil to the onion and tomatoes and mix well.

When the pasta is cooked, drain well and add to the tomato and onions. Mix in well and serve.

If you want, you can add some grated cheese on top for a little extra.

This meal takes about 10-15 minutes to make. Therefore, if you are in a rush, it’s a great meal to have. You can also make it earlier in the day, ready for a quick meal in the evening.

You can easily make a double batch of this, put it in the freezer, or have it for lunch the following day. This is also a very cheap meal, which is perfect if you are on a tight budget.

This is now a staple meal on my meal plan when I am in a rush. If my son is with his dad for the weekend, it is something I can turn to that’s quick and easy, or if I am a little short on money that week/month, this is my go-to meal.

If you are not plant-based, you can easily add any kind of meat, such as ground beef or turkey, or you could add some diced cooked chicken. If you are plant-based, you could add some lentils, beans, or chickpeas.

If you want to add any meat, cook this first and drain any fat. Add the tomatoes, onion, and herbs and mix well. Once you drain the pasta, you can either add the pasta to the mix and mix well, or you can add the pasta and the tomato mix separately on the plate. I know some people, especially kids, prefer not to have their food touched together.

The same method can be used for chickpeas, lentils, or beans. Cook them first according to the packet instructions and add them to the tomato and onion mix.

As for the herbs, I have tried many different herbs and spices with this recipe. If you want a hotter, spicier dish, add some chilli or cumin. Parsley and oregano also work well with this dish if you are not a fan of basil.

You can add some cheese on top, such as cheddar, parmesan, or feta cheese. If you are plant-based/vegan, you can use some vegan cheese or even vegan yoghurt.

Again, this is a base recipe for you to add things in to make it a satisfying, good meal for you and your family.

Serves: 1 person

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 15-20 minutes

Ingredients:

50g of cooked pasta

Half a tin of chopped tomatoes

Half a red onion, chopped into chunks

1 tablespoon of garlic

1 tablespoon of basil

Method:

Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the packet.

Meanwhile, chop the onions into big chunks and fry off in 1 tablespoon of water (add more water if needed).

Add the chopped tomatoes with the red onion and warm through.

Add the garlic and basil and mix in well with the tomatoes and onion.

Drain the pasta well and leave to sit for 1-2 minutes.

If you have cooked any extras (meat, lentils, beans, etc.), add these into the tomato base.

Add the pasta/spaghetti into the tomato base and mix well.

Serve on a plate or in a bowl and add any cheese or yoghurt if desired.

Enjoy!

This is my very easy, quick, and simple Plant-Based Chunky Tomato and Garlic Pasta. It is easy to adapt to your liking and can be made for just you or for the entire family.

If you tried this recipe, let me know how it was and if you made any adaptations. What adaptations did you make? Let me know, and I may even try it out myself.

I hope you enjoyed this post.

Until next time,

Rachel x