The simple combination of your favourite tomato sauce, ricotta and cavatelli will provide you with a trattoria-style Italian home cooked meal. Come and take a look at how easy it is to make this recipe for Cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce.

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A little over a month ago, I shared my family’s homemade cavatelli pasta dough recipe. (I’ve included a video to show you how easy it is 🙂 ) As in most things Italian, it’s a little time consuming to make, but super simple. I will usually double the recipe so that whenever I need cavatelli, they are waiting for me in the freezer. (If making cavatelli is not your thing, no problem – you can easily use store-bought cavatelli). The pretty shape you see below is obtained by gently pressing the dough into a grooved wooden board.

Boil your cavatelli, and begin prepping the tomato sauce. All that’s left now is to add your ricotta to your tomato sauce. (Come and see how ridiculously easy it is to make your own ricotta…and it’s so much better too!)

Enjoy the pasta!

Origins of the recipe for Cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce:

As you can probably guess, this is one of the meals that would frequently find its way to the dinner table as I was growing up. When I think back to my upbringing, I realize that there was a lot of “routine” when it came to meal planning. There was also a lot of simplicity. Pasta dishes were served three times a week: Sunday for lunch, Tuesday and Thursday for supper. Preparation for Sunday lunch was always an elaborate affair, starting at 8 o’clock in the morning with tomato sauce simmering on the stove. I can still remember the wonderful aroma of sauce as I ate my breakfast in the kitchen.

This recipe for cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce is just one of the ways my mom would prepare this pasta. I hope you enjoy this trattoria-style Italian home cooked meal which can be prepared in less than 30 minutes.

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5 from 1 vote

Cavatelli with Tomato Ricotta Sauce

This simple recipe for cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce will result in a trattoria-style Italian home cooked meal...comfort food at its' best!

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Keyword ricotta pasta sauce, ricotta sauce, ricotta tomato sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 538kcal

Author Maria Vannelli RD

Ingredients

• 1 pound Cavatelli Pasta homemade or store bought pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 2-3 cups tomato sauce or passata
• 3/4 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup Romano cheese grated
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. (While waiting for the water to boil, you can prepare the sauce).
• Over medium heat, heat the olive oil in a large saucepan.
• Sauté the garlic about 3 minutes until fragrant -texture should still be soft-do not allow to brown.
• Stir in tomato sauce and cook until sauce is thickened (about 7-10 minutes).
• Add your homemade cavatell to the pot of boiling water. (Cavatelli are done when they rise to the surface).
• Remove from heat and strain pasta in colander.
• Combine ricotta cheese with tomato sauce.
• Toss cavatelli with the tomato ricotta sauce.
• Serve in individual bowls.
• Garnish with basil leaves and romano cheese.

Notes

Homemade cavatelli will cook in just 2-3 minutes; frozen cavatelli take about 6-8 minutes.
You can adjust the quantity of tomato sauce and ricotta to suit your preference.

Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided below is just a rough estimate and variations can occur depending on the specific ingredients used. 

 

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 538kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 6mg | Sodium: 724mg | Potassium: 658mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 11.1% | Vitamin C: 11% | Calcium: 10.9% | Iron: 15.4%

Thanks for dropping by.

Ciao for now!

Maria 🙂