Tomato Mushroom Pasta Sauce with Pancetta and Olives
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.
Servings: 2 people
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.
Notes
Pasta - Weigh your pasta portions, it makes it a perfect ratio. For two people use 200 grams dried or 300 grams fresh.