This is adapted from Ali Slagle’s One-Pot Cheddar Tomato Mac at NYT Cooking. I replaced the cheddar cheese with nut ‘ricotta’ and added dried shrimp simply because I had a handful that needed to be used. They added a sweet/salty umami in the same way an anchovy or 2 would. For the non-meat eaters, other options are: 1 tbs of rinsed salted capers, a tsp of pure porcini powder or 2 tbs of No Fish or No Soy sauce.
This serves 2. Make it for 1 and take the left overs to work or school the next day! Double it for 4.
Savoury Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
150 grams red lentil short pasta (or any pasta of your choice)
1 small brown or white onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 chipotle chilli in adobo sauce (and 1 tbs sauce), chipotle finely chopped (see post dated 3 March 2026)
handful of dried shrimp (or 1 tbs rinsed salted capers / 1 tsp pure porcini powder / 2 tbs No fish sauce)
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
85 grams organic tomato paste (no salt added)
1 tsp homemade mustard (see post dated 22 January 2022)
1 tbs Spicy BBQ Sauce (optional)
3/4 tsp Himalayan pink salt
freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup almond and cashew ‘ricotta cheese’ (see post dated 2 March 2026)
Method
Peel and chop the garlic and onion. Finely chop the dried shrimp and chipotle chilli. Heat a non-stick ceramic frying pan and add the onion and dried shrimp. Cover and cook on a low heat for about 10 minutes stirring occasionally so the onions do not stick to the bottom of the pan. Add the smoked paprika, garlic, mustard, spicy BBQ sauce, chipotle chilli, adobo sauce and tomato paste. Mix and continue to cook on a low heat uncovered for about 5 minutes or until the tomato paste darkens and the excess water evaporates.
Add three cups of filtered water, salt, pepper, cover and bring the sauce to a boil. Take the lid off and add the pasta. Continue to simmer (lower the heat if necessary) for about 12-14 minutes stirring from time to time to make sure the pasta is not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
When the pasta is fully cooked, turn off the heat and add the ricotta cheese and mix through. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Serve with a light salad and enjoy!
