An easy but seriously delicious tomato mushroom pasta sauce with pancetta and olives. Easily customizable with simple ingredients, this is pure comfort food. Substitute the pancetta for bacon or any vegetable in place of the mushrooms. Make it your own! It's one of those great recipes to have up your sleeve when you have people over or even for an easy weeknight dinner.
Hi! This such an easy pasta recipe and is an adaptation of the 'Gypsy Sauce' from the first Pasta Grannies cookbook. It's one of those pasta recipes we make at home a lot as it's just a really perfect combination of flavors. The pancetta gives such a rich flavor to the sauce while the olives give the perfect salty touch.
I've shot this recipe with a homemade orecchiette but it is fantastic with any type of pasta, fresh or dried. If you fancy making some pasta from scratch use my easy homemade pasta dough, it's perfect! Some homemade pappardelle would be a lovely pairing with this pasta sauce recipe.
If you are new to my recipes then make sure you check out my Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Olives. It's like the naughty sister of this recipe!
Main Ingredients
Pancetta - Golden pan fried pancetta adds an incredible depth of flavor here. You could substitute with bacon but do try and find pancetta.
Fresh garlic and onion - Finely diced.
Fresh Mushrooms - Use white button mushrooms or cremini mushrooms or anything else you like.
Green olives - I prefer to buy olives with stones as they have much more flavor. I have an olive pitter. Buy pitted ones if you wish and any colour will work.
Canned Tomatoes - I used canned for this tomato sauce, the original recipe uses passata so feel free to substitute that. I blitz the tomatoes with a stick blender to get a smoother sauce.
Tomato paste - it always adds a nice richness to a tomato pasta sauce. Make sure you give it time to cook off.
Pasta Cooking Water - I am putting this in the main ingredients as it is quite a key ingredient in this sauce. It can get quite thick once cooked so thinning it out is very necessary.
Expert tips
- Don't store your mushrooms in the vegetable draws in your fridge, it's too moist in there for them.
- Take the time to get some nice colour on the pancetta and don't drain or mop up any of the fat, that is flavour people!
- Have it on a medium - low heat when simmering the ingredients, a nice gentle bubble.
- You'll need to add some boiling water (or vegetable or chicken broth if you wish) when adding the tomatoes.
- As with 99.9% of sauces add your cooked pasta straight into the sauce and let it gently bubble away for a couple of minutes. I undercook my pasta for this reason so it is still al dente when served.
- ALWAYS reserve a cup of pasta water before draining your pasta. I lift my pasta straight from the water into the sauce with a spider strainer so the pot of pasta water is sitting there as I need.
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How to make tomato mushroom pasta
The full method and ingredient list is in the recipe card below.
One: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over a medium-high heat and fry the pancetta until golden brown. Add onion, then garlic.
Two: Lower to a medium heat and add the tomato paste and cook off for a couple of minutes.
Three: Add the canned tomatoes, black pepper, a pinch of salt, mushrooms and olives.
Four: Gently simmer for 15 - 20 minutes.
Five: Cook your pasta according to package instructions in a large pot of salted water and add the cooked pasta straight in to sauce.
Six: Let it gently bubble away on the heat for a minute or two before serving. Top with lots of freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil if you wish.
Recipe FAQs
I hate rules, use whatever you like! I have used a homemade orecchiette as it is my absolute favorite. Penne pasta, rigatoni, spaghetti - whatever you have in the cupboard!
I'm secretly judging anyone that has leftovers but yes, you can! Tomato based sauces re-heat relatively well. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to three days. You can add a splash of boiling water when reheating if it needs.
Want some other pasta dishes to try?
Check out my recipe section for all sorts of pasta sauces plus pasta making techniques too! If you loved this mushroom tomato pasta sauce then try my Easy Roast Tomato Pasta Sauce. As mentioned above you should try my Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Olives. I love a creamy sauce and that one is seriously delicious. Another cozy fave is my Easy and Delicious Sausage Pasta Bake.
with Olives
Recipe
Tomato Mushroom Pasta Sauce with Pancetta and Olives
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Ingredients
- Pasta of your choice see notes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 150 grams pancetta cut into small lardons
- ½ onion finely diced
- 2 - 3 garlic cloves finely diced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 x 400 gram tin tomatoes blitzed
- 140 grams mushrooms sliced
- 50 grams green olives weight with no stones
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 30 grams butter optional
- Parmesan cheese for serving
- Fresh basil for serving optional
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over a medium high heat in large skillet or Dutch oven.
- Fry the pancetta until lightly golden brown, 3 - 4 mins. Turn down the heat if you need to.
- Add the diced onion and continue cooking for 3 minutes or so until softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Add the blitzed tin of tomatoes and ½ cup water (or vegetable or chicken stock if you wish) and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Add the salt and pepper, mushrooms and olives and gently simmer for 15 - 20 minutes until mushrooms have cooked through.
- Add your cooked pasta straight into the sauce along with a good ½ cup of pasta water and bubble away for a couple of minutes. Add more pasta water if you like a looser sauce.
- Finish the sauce with the butter and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and some fresh basil on top if you wish.
Jessika says
Although I made it without pancetta, it was flavorful and we enjoyed it. I would definitely make it again!
Chloe Robinson says
Awesome. I swapped out the water for red wine and a bit of brown sugar, did not regret
Emilie Pullar says
I fully support swapping water for wine haha! Thanks so much for making 🙂
Claire Massey says
Hands down so delicious! The olives bring a very savory flavor to the dish. It's also easy to omit the mushrooms if, like me, you're not a fan.
Looking forward to making again!
Emilie Pullar says
Thanks so much for making it Claire!! 🙂
Barbra Pullar says
Such an easy and totally delicious pasta. Perfect amount for two people. My friend went home with the recipe to cook for her family this weekend.
Emilie Pullar says
Yay! So glad you loved it 🙂