A delicious combination of prawns, tomatoes, basil and penne pasta, with just a touch of cream, this easy Creamy Tomato Prawn Pasta can be on the table in just 20 minutes. Quick and simple enough for a busy weeknight, but delicious enough for a weekend treat!
Easy but fancy!
Don’t you just love a pasta dish that looks and tastes like you’re eating in a fancy Italian restaurant, but is actually really quick and easy? This Creamy Prawn Tomato Pasta is one of those recipes.
It’s ready in just 20 minutes and only uses a handful of normal ingredients, but it’s one of those recipes that is very much ‘greater than the sum of its parts’.
It’s quick and simple enough for a busy weeknight, but also delicious enough for a weekend treat!
How to make Creamy Prawn Tomato Pasta
This Creamy Prawn Tomato Pasta is so easy to make!
First, put the pasta on to cook. Then, while the pasta is cooking, fry the onions, red pepper, garlic and chilli (optional). Then add the passata and simmer for 5 minutes. Next, add the prawns and double cream and simmer for 3 more minutes. Finally, add the cooked pasta and some fresh basil.
What to serve with Creamy Prawn Tomato Pasta
This Creamy Prawn Tomato Pasta is a complete meal in its own right, and that’s how I usually serve it.
However, if you want to make this a bigger meal, you can absolutely add some garlic bread or crusty French bread and a simple green side salad.
What to drink with Creamy Prawn Tomato Pasta
For me, hands down the best wine match for prawn and tomato pasta is Sauvignon Blanc. Sauvignon Blanc works really well with tomato-based dishes and won’t overpower the prawns, whereas most other white wines don’t really go well with tomatoes, and most red wines will likely overpower the prawns.
If you are not a fan of Sauvignon Blanc, other good options would be a fruity rosé or a lighter Italian red, such as a Valpolicella or Barbera… maybe even a simple Chianti. Alternatively a Merlot from somewhere like Italy or Chile would also pretty well work here.
Make it your own…
This recipe is very flexible, so feel free to adapt it to suit your tastes and/or whatever you have available to you in your kitchen! Here are a few ideas:
- Use regular prawns instead of king prawns
- Use diced chicken breast instead of the prawns (fry first and add back in at the end)
- Add lardons or chorizo, as well as or instead of the prawns (fry first and add back in at the end)
- Use a different colour pepper, as well as or instead of the red pepper
- Use diced courgette, aubergine, carrots or mushrooms, as well as or instead of the red pepper
- Use dried oregano, as well as or instead of the basil
- Use dried Italian mixed herbs, as well as or instead of the basil
(Did you adapt this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Let me know in the comment section below.)
Can you reheat leftover Creamy Prawn Tomato Pasta
No, this is a dish that is best made fresh.
Can you freeze Creamy Prawn Tomato Pasta
No, this is a dish that is best made fresh.
If you like this recipe…
…you might also like:
- Easy Chorizo and Prawn Pasta
- Easy Creamy Chorizo Pasta
- Easy Chicken and Chorizo Pasta
- Tomato, Pepper and Chorizo Pasta
- Easy Creamy Prawn Linguine
Easy Creamy Prawn Linguine
Creamy Prawn Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 300 g penne pasta (or any pasta shape you like: rigatoni, fusilli and spaghetti also work well)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion finely diced
- 1 red (bell) pepper diced
- 4 cloves garlic crushed or grated
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes (or to taste - optional)
- 400 ml passata
- 450 g cooked king prawns (or regular prawns)
- 75 ml double cream (US - heavy cream)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 10 g basil leaves chopped or ripped, plus extra for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to packet instructions / your own preferences. Drain immediately when cooked to your liking.
- Meanwhile, place the olive oil and diced onions in a frying pan and fry over a low heat, with the lid on, for 3 minutes, or until softened but not brown.
- Add the red pepper and fry on low for a further 3 minutes, with the lid on.
- Add the garlic and chilli (if using) and fry on low for a further 1 minute, with the lid off.
- Add the passata, turn up the heat and bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and simmer for 5 minutes.
- When the 5 minutes are up, add the prawns and double cream and cook for 3 more minutes over a low heat, or until the sauce is bubbling and the prawns are piping hot all the way through, then turn off the heat.
- Tip the cooked pasta into the sauce and turn the pasta in the sauce until it is well coated.
- Rip up the basil and stir it into the pasta.
- Serve garnished with more basil.
Notes
Nutrition information is approximate and meant as a guideline only.
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