Pasta- with creamy tomato sauces I prefer a long thin pasta like spaghetti but you can easily use penne, rigatoni, or other short pasta. This is a creamy tomato pasta sauce that starts off basic and lets you add endless variations depending on what you have on hand and who you're feeding. Dried herbs can be added at the beginning, but fresh herbs should be added just before you serve it. We used to think there was no replacement for fresh cherry tomatoes, but then we discovered Mutti, a canned variety that puts them in a tomato category of their own. "Cherry tomatoes are amazing, but you never see them canned," says senior food editor Andy Baraghani. So what's the deal with Mutti's canned cherry tomatoes, and how should you be using them?

This tomato mascarpone pasta is an easy, one-pan 30-minute pasta recipe that is a luscious and decadent dish. Rich, creamy mascarpone cheese perfectly balances the sweet and tangy tomatoes. Silky, al dente pasta is then tossed with the velvety creamy tomato sauce, creating the perfect one-pot dinner. After we’ve tipped the tomatoes into our recipe, we often use a little water to rinse the tin, then add this to the recipe as well. That way, you get everything out of the can, and you can let the water reduce a bit in your sauce, which will add even more flavour. PASSATA

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Tinned tomatoes- tinned tomatoes is great for this recipe because the quality and flavour are consistent unlike fresh tomatoes that are seasonal. Frozen veg is best added near the end of cook time, as it will reduce the heat in the pan and frozen veg doesn't need long to heat through. But does it matter which type you buy? What’s the difference between chopped and whole tomatoes, and when should you buy passata instead of purée? Here, we’ll show you the best uses for different types of tomato and share our favourite tinned tomato recipes. WHICH TIN SHOULD I BUY? Consider the cooking method. Different cooking methods can affect how much seasoning a dish needs. For example, grilling or roasting tends to bring out the natural flavours of ingredients, so you may need to use less seasoning and a moist cooking method (like this one-pot sauce and pasta) will require more seasoning.

Where possible, we would always go for plum tomatoes. Whole tomatoes tend to be less processed than chopped ones – which means they have a fresher flavour and keep more of their natural sweetness. Chopped tomatoes also release more water (or can even have water added, if they are very cheap) –so we think that plum tomatoes give you more flesh and far more flavour for your money. Although passata is often made from broken tomatoes, the high-quality brands should still have lots of sweetness. If you want to achieve a really authentic Italian result, make your own passata by pressing, sieving and bottling fresh plum tomatoes yourself. PURÉE The pasta cooks right in the mascarpone tomato sauce so you only need one pan and about 25 minutes.Start with a small amount of seasoning and taste as you go. It's always easier to add more seasoning than it is to try to fix a dish that is overly seasoned. *If you are accidentally heavy-handed with the salt, try adding some lemon juice to balance it out. Stir in some aromatics- dried herbs get added early in the cooking process to allow them time to soften up and release they're flavour. Fresh herbs get saved for adding at the end. Use dried thyme, oregano, basil and mixed Italian herbs to bring out the flavour of the tomatoes and garlic. Simmer- let the sauce simmer on medium-low heat for about 20 minutes to let the flavours blend together. Balance the flavours. A good dish will have a balance of sweet, sour, salty, and bitter flavours. For this pasta, much of the sweetness comes from the cherry tomatoes. For the best flavour, start off the vegetables the same way you would when making soups or sauces, by sauteing the onion and garlic in olive oil, then adding the veg (this will help develop the flavours), before adding the pasta and liquid.