With a rich tomato sauce, this pasta has a mix of sweet, savoury, and tangy flavours. If you’re a spicy-food lover like me, add in some hot chilli peppers to add a gentle heat! It will warm you up on a cold, chilly night. With a comforting medley of chicken breast, sausage, ham, and al dente pasta, I’m sure you’ll love this homemade recipe as much as I do!
The best thing about a homemade meal is that you can adjust the flavours to suit your preference, and control what you add to the meal to make it healthier and more nutritious. Using garlic, onions, and tomatoes as the base of the tomato pasta sauce, the aromatic and savoury flavours stick to the pasta and coat them adequately. The chicken breast is cooked in a steam-frying method, making every bite juicy and tender!
By preparing the sauce and chicken while boiling the pasta, you’ll be able to enjoy a hearty meal with no time wasted on waiting.
Table of contents
Ingredients for homemade tomato pasta
- Pasta: I used penne pasta for this recipe but it tastes good with any other pasta of your own choice.
- Chicken breast, sausage, and ham: The main meats of this homemade pasta. You can always substitute with your choice of meat, seafood, or even enjoy the pasta on its own with this homemade tomato sauce!
- Garlic and onion: By pan-frying minced garlic and onions, their flavours and aroma infuse with other ingredients for the pasta sauce to add more depth to the flavour.
- Hot chilli pepper: This is optional but adding some heat to the sauce makes it more delicious!
- Fresh tomatoes: Using fresh tomatoes to make the tomato pasta sauce to make it healthier!
- Tomato paste: Not only intensifies the tomato flavour but also adds umami.
- Ketchup: Adds richness to the sweet, tangy tomato sauce.
- Sugar: Adds sweetness to the tomato sauce while balancing out the acidity.
- Water: This helps to soften the fresh tomatoes when cooking the sauce, and incorporate all other ingredients together.
- Salt and pepper: for seasoning the sauce and chicken breast.
- Cornstarch: By marinating the chicken breast with some cornstarch, salt & pepper and water before cooking, it will make the chicken meat more tender and juicier.
- Vegetable oil: For pan frying the ingredients.
How to make homemade tomato pasta
- Marinate the diced chicken breasts with cornstarch, salt, pepper, sesame oil, and a dash of water for 10 minutes.
- Boil the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package instructions recommend.
- Pan-fry the chicken breasts on both sides and add in some water to half-steam the chicken when they are nearly cooked. Set aside.
- Prepare the tomato sauce. Heat some oil over a pot or wok over medium-high heat. Sweat the garlic, onion, and hot chilli peppers.
- Add in chopped tomatoes, stirring occasionally until they start to soften.
- Stir in water, tomato paste, and ketchup.
- Bring the mixture to boil, then simmer over low heat, until the sauce thickens.
- Add in cooked chicken breasts and pasta. Toss and stir to combine all ingredients.
Tips on making a delicious homemade tomato pasta
Do a taste test for the tomato sauce!
For any homecooked food, I often do a taste test before serving to check if the dish needs more seasoning. For this homemade tomato sauce, you may want it to be more tangy or sweeter depending on your preference. For a more tangy taste, add more tomato paste to the sauce. Add more sugar if you prefer a sweeter tomato sauce. If you want the sauce to be even thicker, you can add in a cornstarch slurry by mixing 1 tsp of cornstarch with an adequate amount of water to dilute the cornstarch (about 2 tbsp).
Use fresh chicken breasts if you can. If not, defrost the chicken with 1-2 tsp of coarse salt in a bowl of water.
Using fresh ingredients for homemade meals will always give you the best result! But of course, it’ll be difficult to go to supermarkets for every single meal. I normally wrap chicken breasts individual with cling film and store them in the freezer for a longer shelf life. Defrost the chicken breast in a bowl of water with 1-2 tsp of coarse salt. This will not only quicken the thawing process, but also remove the smell of frozen meat!
Tips on making chicken breasts juicy and tender
Marinate with cornstarch, sesame oil, and a dash of water.
Cornstarch and sesame oil tenderise the chicken meat by locking in its moisture. You can use vegetable oil instead, but sesame oil adds more flavour and aroma to the chicken. Adding water to the marinade allows the chicken breasts to absorb more moisture, making them juicier when cooked.
Do not overcook the chicken breasts at the beginning.
Since you’ll be adding the cooked chicken breasts to the tomato sauce at a later step, be sure to remove them from the wok immediately when they are just cooked in step 3 above. Pan sear the chicken breasts both sides on medium heat until golden brown. Do not always flip the chicken breasts to maintain their moisture. Add in a dash of water when cooking the other side and cover with a lid to half-steam the chicken breasts. This cooking method will make them more tender! To know when they are just cooked, use a chopstick or a toothpick to poke the chicken meat, if it goes through it means they are ready to be removed from the wok.
How to store and reheat tomato pasta?
Transfer any leftover pasta to an airtight container and keep it refrigerated. You can reheat the pasta on a stove top over medium heat with a splash of water. Alternatively, you can pop it into the microwave and reheat for 1-2 minutes on high power.
How long will tomato pasta last in the fridge?
Stored in an airtight container, the tomato pasta will last for 3-5 days in the fridge.
Bursting with sweet and tangy flavours, this homemade tomato pasta is a satisfying dish that brings together the savoury goodness of chicken breasts, sausages, and ham. It is comforting and easy to make at home, so give this recipe a try and see for yourself how delicious it is!
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My Favourite Homemade Tomato Pasta
Equipment
- Wok/pot
Ingredients
- 160 g pasta of your choice
- 1 chicken breast diced
- 1 tomato chopped
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/3 onion minced
- 1 hot chilli pepper sliced (optional)
- 1 tsp sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup water
For the chicken breast marinade
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp grounded black pepper
- About 1 tbsp water
Instructions
- Marinate the diced chicken breasts for 10 minutes.
- In a wok or pot, cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package instructions recommend.
- While cooking the pasta, heat some oil in another wok and pan-fry the chicken breasts over medium heat until golden brown. When they are half-cooked, add in some water to the wok, then cover with a lid to half-steam the chicken breasts. Remove the lid, stir fry a few times to let the water evaporates, then set aside.
- Prepare the tomato sauce. Using the same wok, heat some oil over medium-high heat, then add in garlic, onions and hot chilli peppers. Stir-fry until fragrant and golden brown.
- Add in chopped tomatoes and sugar. Stir occasionally.
- When the tomatoes begin to soften, add in tomato paste and ketchup. Stir to combine.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it over a strainer and let it cool briefly. Reserve ½ to 1 cup of pasta liquid.
- Add about ½ cup of pasta liquid to the tomato sauce and let it simmer until it thickens.
- Transfer the cooked pasta and chicken breasts to the tomato sauce, toss and stir to combine.