Know what takes ordinary pasta marinara to the next level? Truffle marinara! This rich, decadent sauce is made with juicy tomatoes, white wine, fresh basil, and a splash of savory truffle oil. Toss it with pasta for an easy 30-minute dinner that tastes like it came straight from an Italian restaurant.
Truffle oil is one of those ingredients that can take a dish from nice to mind-blowingly delicious. I love using it in truffle mashed potatoes and in savory mushroom dishes like my creamy vegan mushroom lasagna. Lately I’ve been spotting jars of truffle marinara sauce at the grocery store. Sounds good, but I’m a from-scratch marinara sauce kind of girl, so I decided to create my own homemade version.
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Guys, this is next-level pasta. Plain old pasta marinara is always delicious, but the addition of just a touch of truffle oil makes it bowl-licking good. To complement that savory truffle flavor, I added lots of garlic, a splash of white wine, and plenty of fresh basil. It’s a really simple pasta sauce you can whip up in about a half hour.
Get ready to meet your new favorite pasta dinner!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below you’ll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
- Olive oil. This recipe uses a generous amount of olive oil to give it that luxurious mouthfeel, so make sure to use a good quality extra-virgin olive oil, and I don’t recommend any substitutions.
- Onion.
- Garlic.
- Red pepper flakes. We’re adding just a pinch for some heat. You can leave them out for a heat-free sauce, if you prefer.
- White wine. Use a dry variety like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc, and keep in mind that not all wine is vegan — run your brand through Barnivore before you buy.
- Crushed tomatoes. Tomato puree will also work, but will give you a smoother sauce.
- Diced tomatoes.
- Penne pasta. Penne is my favorite, so I used it here. Got your own favorite? Go ahead and use it!
- Sugar. We’re using organic granulated sugar for this recipe, because conventional sugar is often processed using animal bone char, so it’s not always vegan.
- Salt.
- Black truffle oil. This is our magic ingredient for infusing the sauce with intense umami flavor. I like black truffle oil with tomato sauce, but white truffle oil works just fine if that’s what you’ve got.
- Fresh basil.
How It’s Made
The following is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Step 1: Get ready. Start heating your pasta water on the stove. Don’t add your pasta yet, though. We’re going to try to time things so it’s done at the same time as the sauce.
Step 2: Cook the onion. Start with a generous coating of olive oil in a large pot. Heat it up and add diced onion. Cook the onion for a few minutes to start softening it up.
Step 3: Add garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook them very briefly, just until the garlic becomes very fragrant. Stir constantly to prevent anything from burning.
Step 4: Add the wine. Add a bit of white wine to the pot. Bring it to a simmer and let it cook for just a few minutes, until it reduces by about half.
Step 5: Simmer the sauce. Stir in the crushed and diced tomatoes. Let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes, until it thickens a bit.
Step 6: Cook the pasta. Add it to your boiling water while the sauce cooks. Make sure to reserve a bit of the cooking water when you drain it.
Step 7: Finish the sauce. Take the pot off of heat. Stir in the sugar, and season it with salt to taste, then add the fresh basil.
Step 8: Add the pasta. Stir your cooked pasta in with the sauce. Thin the mixture with some of the reserved pasta water only if needed.
Step 9: Serve. Your truffle marinara pasta is ready to enjoy! Divide it up onto plates or bowls, and, if you’d like, top each one with a sprinkle of vegan Parmesan cheese.
Variations
- Creamy truffle marinara. Stir in a quarter to half cup of coconut cream, cashew cream, or vegan heavy cream alternative in step 7.
- Add veggies. My favorite hack for adding veggies to any pasta dinner: throw them into the water with the pasta during the last minute or two of boiling. This works best for greens like broccoli, kale, or spinach. You could also add roasted or sautéed veggies during step 8.
- Add mushrooms. Mushrooms are a naturally great pairing with truffle oil. Just sauté some fresh mushrooms in olive oil and stir them into the finished dish.
- Skip the pasta. This sauce is also great with polenta, couscous, or for dipping finger foods like vegan mozzarella sticks or baked tofu nuggets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep! Just use gluten-free pasta.
You can! The recipe uses lots of olive oil to give the sauce a silky texture and richness, but it’s not essential. You can use just a tablespoon to cook your onion and garlic, or substitute vegetable broth or water. The truffle oil, on the other hand, is the star flavoring, but you could experiment with using a truffle powder instead if you prefer.
Store any leftover truffle marinara pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days, or in the freezer for up to three months. You can also store the sauce on its own for the same amount of time. I like to keep a stash in the freezer and cook up a fresh batch of pasta whenever a craving hits!
More Easy Pasta Recipes
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📖 Recipe
Truffle Marinara Pasta
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Ingredients
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 1 (28 ounce/794 gram) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 (14.5 ounce/411 gram) can diced tomatoes
- 12 ounces dried penne pasta
- 1 teaspoon organic granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- 2 tablespoons black truffle oil, or to taste (Note 1)
- ½ cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
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Place a large pot of salted water over high heat. You'll be using this to cook the pasta, but don't add your pasta just yet. If the water comes to a boil before you're ready for it, simply reduce the heat and keep it barely simmering.
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Coat the bottom of a large pot with the olive oil and place it over medium heat. Give the oil a minute to heat up. Once it starts to shimmer, add the onion. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it becomes soft and translucent.
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Add the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook the mixture for about 1 minute, stirring constantly, until the garlic becomes very fragrant.
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Stir in the wine. Raise the heat just enough to bring the wine to a boil, then lower the heat and let it simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until most of it has cooked off.
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Stir in the crushed and diced tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a boil, lower the heat, and let it simmer for about 15 minutes, until thickened slightly.
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When the sauce has five to ten minutes left to cook, bring your pasta water back to a rolling boil if you reduced the heat, then add the pasta. Cook it according to the package directions. Drain it into a colander when done, reserving about a half cup of the pasta cooking water.
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When the sauce has finished simmering, stir in the sugar and season it with salt to taste. Add the truffle oil, starting with just one tablespoon and adding more to taste. Stir in the basil.
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Add the pasta to the pot containing the sauce. Thin it with some of the pasta cooking water only if needed.
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Divide onto plates and serve.
Notes
- Truffle oils vary quite a bit in flavor intensity. You’ll probably need between one and two tablespoons, depending on how potent yours is and your personal preference.
Nutrition
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