Tomato mascarpone pasta sauce
*Tablespoons are in Australian measures. 1 Australian tablespoon = 4 American, Canadian and New Zealand teaspoons, 3 1/2 British teaspoons
Ingredients
For the pasta sauce:
- 1 x 400g tin plain tomatoes
- 75g (3 tablespoons)* tomato paste
- 40ml (2 tablespoons)* red wine optional but really adds flavour
- 1 small bunch fresh oregano
- 1/2 bunch fresh basil reserve the remaining to finish
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey
- 1/2 – 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1-2 teaspoons regular paprika for colour
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida powder optional but delicious
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 40ml (2 tablespoons)* garlic infused ghee or oil
To finish:
- 400 g gluten free pasta shape of choice
- 2-3 tablespoons* mascarpone
- Finely and freshly grated parmesan to finish
Instructions
- Blend together all the ingredients except the ghee. Add the mixture to a saucepan and cook over a low heat for 5-10 minutes. You can slow cook this mixture as long as you like, but you might need to add more liquid. This sauce spits quickly and easily, so keep a lid on while you’re not stirring it.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta in well salted water as per the package instructions.
- Just before you finish cooking, add the ghee and stir to melt and combine. Leaving the ghee just cooked helps it retain the garlic flavour.
- Drain the cooked pasta (reserving some pasta water in case you need it) and return it to the cooking pot. Pour over the pasta sauce and stir to combine, then add the mascarpone. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (I sometimes like to add a squeeze of lemon). You can stir through a handful of finely and freshly grated vegetarian parmesan (yes, it exists) here too.
- Serve with a little extra parmesan and the remaining 1/2 bunch of basil.
Notes
- This recipe used to use smoked paprika. Monash has updated the entry for smoked paprika on their app as of November 2025. Smoked paprika contains moderate amounts of fructose in 5g serves, which is approximately 2 1/2 teaspoons.
- Because this dish has other fructose containing ingredients, I recommend using regular paprika (or omitting the paprika). If you don't have fructose concerns, you can use smoked paprika.
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