Tomato N Cheese Pasta

September and the floor running the flu season protocols on top of COVID protocols, which means October-November is going to require its own kind of sustained attention. I've been doing this long enough to know that the compound challenge of two respiratory viruses in one season is the math you don't want to do, and we're doing it. James is fully seasoned now—he has the October-nurse quality of someone who has been through enough to know what to prepare for. We prep together on Tuesdays. It's good to prep with someone who's already made most of the beginner mistakes.

Nora crawled on Friday. From the blanket to the coffee table, four-point crawl, purposeful. Liam saw it before I did and yelled "Mama! Nora's moving!" from the living room with the urgency of a man reporting a breaking development. I came in and she'd done it and looked back at us from the coffee table with the expression she has when she's done something that met her own standard.

I made shakshuka on Saturday for dinner—the one I make every fall when the tomatoes are still good—and ate it with the good bread and Sean had two helpings and Liam said "I want eggs in the sauce" meaning he wanted what I was having and I made him a small version with one egg and he ate the whole thing and then the bread and then looked at me and said "again sometime?" Yes. Again sometime. Shakshuka is in the fall rotation now. He has approved it.

The shakshuka on Saturday reminded me why tomato-based, sauce-forward dinners are what this season is made for — the kind of thing you make once and suddenly everyone at the table wants their own version of it. This tomato and cheese pasta has that same quality: a rich, simple tomato sauce with enough depth to feel like you made something, and enough ease that you actually will make it again. Liam’s “again sometime?” is the highest rating I know, and this one has earned it right alongside the eggs.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz penne or rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded low-moisture mozzarella, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus more to serve
Fresh basil leaves, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. Drain and set aside.
Build the sauce. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Simmer the tomatoes. Pour in crushed tomatoes. Stir in oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 12–15 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly and the flavors come together.
Combine pasta and sauce. Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat, adding a splash of reserved pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce.
Add the cheese. Remove from heat. Dollop ricotta over the pasta and stir gently so it melts in streaks rather than fully incorporating. Stir in half the mozzarella and all the Parmesan.
Finish and serve. Top with remaining mozzarella. If you like a melted top, cover the pan for 2–3 minutes off the heat until cheese is melted through. Serve warm, garnished with fresh basil and extra Parmesan if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tomato N Cheese Pasta — The Sauce That Started a Fall Tradition