Penne with Chilli Squid in Roasted Tomato Sauce is a simple and delicious winter warmer. Oodles of flavour from roasting the tomatoes and aromatics makes this a must try pasta dish.
We tend to eat a lot of pasta dishes during the colder months. I tend to be rather grouchy and lazy when the cold, damp weather arrives which translates into easier, one pot, packed with flavour dishes in the kitchen.
This Penne with Chilli Squid ticks all the right boxes in that regard. It comes together really quickly, doesn’t require a ton of prep work and is the perfect dish to retreat to the couch with especially that Masterchef 2016 has begun. A glass of wine too perhaps, and you would feel grand.
Roasting vegetables is a great way of intensifying flavours which is why this roasted tomato sauce is just so delicious. Diced tomatoes with onion, garlic and thyme, onto a baking tray and in the oven for 15 minutes; blend and your sauce is ready. How easy is that! And this can be made in bulk and frozen in batches as it works as a delicious base sauce for any kind of pasta dish.
Given my love for seafood, I chose to play around with squid rings for this recipe but if you don’t eat or like squid, there are tons of other options. Like I always say, the recipe is just a guideline and you must embrace and make it your own. Prawns and lobsters work brilliantly or you can keep it vegetarian with just the mushrooms or your preferred assortment.
It’s interesting how climate affects me and my style of cooking these days. I have noticed that I tend to play around more with chillies when it’s cold than any other spice. So it’s a generous helping of chilli flakes and hot paprika to season the squid rings and mushrooms.
If I want to bulk up this Penne with chilli squid dish and make it for two days (which I sometimes do when I have work commitments), I prepare the sauce and the squid mixture and store separately. Pasta is cooked only at the time of the meal so that it is served warm, straight off the pan which all of us know is the best way to eat it.
So here you go; Penne with Chilli Squid in Roasted Tomato Sauce – an extremely simple pasta dish that speaks volumes of flavour.
Penne with Chilli Squid in Roasted Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 500 gms ripe red tomatoes; quartered
- 1 medium red onion; diced
- 4 large garlic cloves
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- Salt to season
- Freshly milled black pepper to season
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 300 gms fresh squid rings
- 200 gms button mushrooms
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 250 gms penne
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley; finely chopped
- Parmesan grated (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan forced).
- In a baking tray, line the tomatoes, onions and garlic. Season with thyme, salt and pepper; drizzle with olive oil.
- Roast the tomatoes for about 15 minutes or till done. Remove from oven, cool and blend; keep aside.
- In a deep pan, heat more olive oil and add the squid rings. Cook for about 1 minute on high heat and then add the mushrooms. Cook for another minute and season with chilli flakes, paprika, oregano and salt. Sauté till the squid rings are almost done.
- Add the roasted tomato sauce; mix well to combine and remove from heat.
- Cook the penne in salted boiling water till al dente, drain but reserve a bit of the water in which the pasta was cooked.
- Add the penne to the sauce and mix well to combine. Add a few spoons of the pasta water if you want to loosen the sauce; this is an optional step.
- Garnish with chopped parsley leaves
- Serve warm with grated parmesan.
Reblogged this on mamabatesmotel.
Yum! This looks so delicious – I’m a huge seafood fan and especially squid!
Great to hear that Sammie…..
Love the look of that spicy pasta!! Looks scrumptious and your photos are stunning!!
Thanks so much dear; love how spice binds us in our culinary journey.
Yes, I’m glad I’m not the only one glued to the TV watching master chef,hehe. Roasting the tomatoes sounds like a nice touch I’ll def try that the next time I make pasta sauce. Great recipe and amazing photos. Love it!
Thanks dear. I have been a big fan of Masterchef from season 1; you get to learn so much.
I know me too, I watch all master chef programs, the Australian one, the indian one. Hehe?
Lol; I can’t take the Indian one though.
hahah It’s so much fun though lol
I know…especially when our dear Akshay Kumar hosted it.
Looks at those tomatoes! Yum! I love this since it’s quick and easy to make. It makes me hungry!
Thanks Nagi for your constant support
Love the sauce, I do that too ?
awesome; loads of flavour isn’t it!
I know, I struggle not to eat the tomatoes before puréeing them though!
Lol….true that.
Makes me hungry!
That’s a great compliment Maryam; thanks