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    Home » Main Dishes » Cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce

    Cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce

    February 28, 2016 , Updated May 17, 2021 Maria 23 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

    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.

    Cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce

    The links on this blog are affiliate links, which means I’ll earn a commission if you use those links (there’s no extra charge to you).

    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.

    Cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce

    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!)

    Cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce

    Enjoy the pasta!

    Cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce

    Recipe inspiration

    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.

    Cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce

    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.

    Cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce

    Cavatelli with tomato ricotta sauce

    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!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Save RecipeSaved! Pin Rate
    Course: Main
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Servings: 4 servings
    Calories: 538kcal
    Author: Maria Vannelli RD
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    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.
    Scroll UP for the STEP by STEP PhotosDon't miss the process shots and videos included in most posts. Simply scroll up the post to find them. Those were created especially for you so that you can make the recipe perfectly every single time you try it.

    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: 555IU | Vitamin C: 9.1mg | Calcium: 109mg | Iron: 2.8mg
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    Ciao for now!

    Maria 🙂

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    Filed Under: Main Dishes, Pasta, Ricotta Cheese

    About Maria

    Maria Vannelli is a registered dietitian who lives in a suburb just outside Montreal, Canada. She's the founder of the food blog She Loves Biscotti. Maria hopes to inspire you and bring you and your loved ones closer together at meal times enabling you to create some memorable moments.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Deborah Lochli Mcgrath

      September 29, 2022 at 4:34 pm

      Love, Love, Love and so easy to make.

      Reply
      • Maria

        September 30, 2022 at 5:18 pm

        Thank you Deborah!

        Reply
    2. Vanessa

      January 10, 2022 at 7:52 pm

      5 stars
      I absolutely love this dish!! As does my husband, and my 13 month old daughter gobbled this up too! I love that it comes together so quickly, and it is so flavourful…
      I found your recipes from a work friend, Liliana, who I believe is related to you…thank you so much for sharing these healthy and delicious recipes 🤗👏👏

      Reply
      • Maria

        January 11, 2022 at 10:40 pm

        How wonderful Vanessa! Yes, Liliana is my aunt. Thanks so much for taking the time to share and comment.

        Reply
    3. Joyce Cantin

      January 23, 2021 at 4:39 pm

      Can we replace the tomate sauce with jarred pasta sauce? thanks from south shore Montreal

      Reply
      • Maria

        January 23, 2021 at 6:33 pm

        Thanks for your interest fellow Montrealer! Yes, that would work just fine. Enjoy Joyce!

        Reply
    4. Erez

      April 16, 2019 at 2:18 pm

      5 stars
      I have been cooking pasta dishes for 20 years and for some reason never thought about the combination of tomato sauce and riccota.
      My life changed today! thank you:))))))

      Reply
      • Maria

        April 19, 2019 at 8:21 am

        My pleasure Erez! Isn’t it just a wonderful combination? Thanks for taking the time to comment, appreciate it.

        Reply
    5. Ur pal val

      February 16, 2018 at 8:13 pm

      5 stars
      I can eat cavatelli with just about any sauce. I love the combination of tomato sauce and ricotta. Can’t wait to try this cavatelli recipe.

      Reply
      • Maria

        February 17, 2018 at 12:21 am

        This tomato ricotta sauce is one of my favorites! It really does come together so easily and has so much flavor. Appreciate you taking the time to comment 🙂

        Reply
    6. Rosa

      September 12, 2016 at 3:29 pm

      I have a weak spot for dishes that include tomato sauce and ricotta. Pinned to try later. 🙂

      Reply
      • Maria

        September 13, 2016 at 9:55 pm

        It’s also one of my favorite combinations. Thanks for dropping by Rosa 🙂

        Reply
    7. Stephanie | Worth Whisking

      March 01, 2016 at 9:13 pm

      Maria, this looks amazing! Super cheesy pasta dishes are my favorite, and this one is so easy to make! I think this will be making its way to my dinner table soon! Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Maria

        March 01, 2016 at 9:24 pm

        Thanks Stephanie! I think I sprinkled a bit too much cheese…as you say it was super cheesy 😉
        Thanks for taking the time to comment.

        Reply
    8. Lina

      February 29, 2016 at 9:35 pm

      Hi how can I see the video
      Thank you

      Reply
      • Maria

        February 29, 2016 at 9:41 pm

        Hi Lina,
        If you click on the highlighted words “homemade cavatelli pasta dough recipe” it will bring you to the post which has the video on how to make the cavatelli.
        Hope you enjoy it! Thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂

        Reply
        • Lina

          February 29, 2016 at 10:56 pm

          Thank you!

    9. deb@glutenfreefarina

      February 28, 2016 at 7:59 pm

      Great to see it all come together. I love the board. I need to order that. And I am so impressed with the video of how to make cavatelli. Great work!

      Reply
      • Maria

        February 28, 2016 at 8:24 pm

        Thanks Deb! Tinkering with video…it was a lot of fun.
        Great to hear from you, thanks 🙂

        Reply
    10. Maria

      February 28, 2016 at 3:04 pm

      This is definatley a dish my hubby will love!!! Perfect for traditional sunday lunch!!
      Will be trying for sure!!

      Reply
      • Maria

        February 28, 2016 at 3:32 pm

        Hi Maria!
        It’s always a hit in our family…the ultimate comfort food. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Enjoy 🙂

        Reply
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