This simple recipe for Gluten-Free Pasta with Oil-Free Garlic Tomato Sauce makes a delicious and satisfying plant-based, vegan dinner. The oil-free marinara sauce simmers low and slow for up to an hour, filling your kitchen with the aroma of Italy. A classic whole-foods dish you’ll make again and again!
Meal Prep: Oil-Free Marinara Sauce
The perfect meal-prep recipe, you can make a big batch of the oil-free marinara sauce and freeze into smaller portions. Then, you just need to boil some pasta, and you’re ready for a delicious weeknight meal! Besides this recipe, you can use the plant-based marinara for Pasta “alla Norma”, serve over Vegan Butternut Squash Italian Polenta, or use as a dip for Baked Polenta Discs with Vegan Wild Mushroom Ragout.
What Kind of Pasta is Gluten-Free?
There is a huge variety of gluten-free pasta available. Some brands, like Banza and Whole Foods, use chickpeas or lentils, which add extra protein. Other brands, like Tinkyada and Colavita, use rice flour as the main ingredient. There’s even green edamame pasta from Explore Cuisine which has 24g of protein in one 2 oz serving!
All of these varieties are plant-based, oil-free vegan pastas. Have fun exploring the different tastes, textures, and colors! If you’re cooking for little ones or picky eaters, it’s also fun to have them help choose the pasta color and shape. This will encourage them to be more interested in trying it.
Chef Katie’s Plant-Based Cooking Tips
Canned Tomato Tip: Canned tomatoes are picked at the peak of ripeness and are loaded with flavor. Opt for a brand you know and trust. San Marzano is reliable. The Whole Foods 365 brand of Crushed Tomatoes with Italian herbs is delicious and budget-friendly
Gluten-Free Pasta with Oil-Free Garlic Tomato Sauce
- Easy
- Servings: 4
- Ready In: 1 hour
Gluten-Free Pasta with Oil-Free Garlic Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
For the Oil-Free Marinara:
- 1/4 yellow onion diced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 28 oz cans San Marzano Tomatoes
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- Pinch of black pepper to taste
For the Pasta:
- 8 ounces brown rice spaghetti or other gluten-free pasta 4 servings
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped, for serving
Instructions
To make the Oil-Free Marinara Sauce:
- Combine onion with 1/4 cup of water in a medium pot. Cover and sweat over medium-low heat, 5-7 minutes, until onion softens.
- While the onion is sweating, empty your canned tomatoes into a bowl and use your hands to crush.
- Once the onion has softened a bit, add the garlic, basil, oregano, and basil to the pot. Cook until aromatic, 30-60 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes and 1/4 cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil.
- Once the tomato sauce comes to a boil, reduce hit to simmer, Use a spoon to skim off any “foam”. This is tannic and not delicious.
- Cover and cook at a low simmer until everything comes together and reduces slightly. This can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- When the sauce is ready, prepare your pasta.
To cook the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt the water.
- Follow cooking directions on the box of pasta, but cook the pasta 1-2 minutes less than what it tells you. You want the pasta to be “al dente”, having a “bite” to it. It will finish cooking in the marinara sauce.
- Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking liquid and drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot you used to boil it.
- Add the marinara to the pasta, along with 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water. Use tongs to toss the pasta in the sauce. The starches in the water will help thicken the sauce.
- Continue to cook over medium until the pasta is tender and everything comes together.
- When pasta is ready, turn off the heat and stir in the fresh basil.
- Taste to adjust seasoning. Serve immediately
Nutrition Facts
Serving size: 1/4 recipe
Calories 269.09
Calories From Fat (8%) 21.23
% Daily Value
Total Fat 2.35g 4%
Saturated Fat 0.56g 3%
Omega-3 Fatty Acids g
Omega-6 Fatty Acids g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 301.54mg 13%
Potassium 559.21mg 16%
Total Carbohydrates 56.64g 19%
Fiber 4.72g 19%
Sugar 6.11g
Protein 6.5g 13%
Calcium 23.82mg 2%
Iron 88.44mg 491%
Vitamin A 373.34IU 7%
Vitamin C 5491.11mg 9152%
Shopping List
- Banza Spaghetti Pasta from Chickpeas
- Tinkyada Brown Rice Organic Spaghetti Pasta
- Explore Cuisine Organic Edamame Spaghetti
- Cento San Marzano Organic Peeled Tomatoes
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