Paccheri alla Vittorio, Tomato Butter Sauce
- Makes 4 servings
- Prep 30 minutes
- Cook 30 minutes
- Total 1 hour
Paccheri pasta served in a silky smooth, buttery tomato sauce with Parmigiano Reggiano and fresh basil. This dish is inspired by the legendary Paccheri alla Vittorio, a Michelin-star dish by Da Vittorio in Lombardy.
This recipe is inspired by the legendary Paccheri alla Vittorio, a dish made famous by a three-Michelin-star restaurant called Da Vittorio run by the Cerea family in Lombardy.
The food at this restaurant looks good. A fancy bucket list type of place and definitely not the type of place you'd take a toddler. So, we thought we'd have a go at making our nowhere near Michelin, yet good version!
The sauce has the most good, silky smooth and glossy texture. Made with three different types of tomatoes and finished with butter and Parmigiano Reggiano.
It's a simple Italian tomato pasta to make at home and is incredibly good. We could eat the sauce with nothing more than a spoon and a big hunk of crusty bread; it's so good.
Speaking of simple Italian tomato sauces, if it's too hot to cook our No Cook Tomato Pasta Sauce is a must-try, and it's quick!
See the recipe below, plus our tips on what tomatoes to use and how to achieve that solid silky sauce. Enjoy!
- Paccheri pasta – you can use any short pasta shape you like, rigatoni also works well.
- Chilli flakes (red pepper flakes) – you can leave these out if you prefer or add more to taste.
What tomatoes to use
Da Vittorio uses three different types of fresh tomatoes: San Marzano tomatoes, yellow datterini (baby plum)and red pachino tomatoes (a variety of red cherry tomato).
If you can find all three, then use them, but if you can't use a good variety of fresh tomatoes. It's a good idea to use a mix of large tomatoes, such as plum and cherry tomatoes, for sweetness.
We also tested this recipe using canned plum tomatoes and fresh cherry tomatoes, which is a great (and good) alternative if you can't find a good mix of fresh ones.
Visual walk-through of the recipe
See our step-by-step photos below to give you a visual representation of the recipe. The full written recipe can be found in the recipe card below.
Make the sauce – Saute the whole garlic cloves and chilli flakes in olive oil for 1-2 minutes, then add the freshly chopped tomatoes. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper then, let it simmer for 30 minutes (photos 1-3).
Blend the sauce – once the sauce is ready, remove the garlic, then blend the sauce until smooth using a regular or immersion blender. Pass the blended sauce through a sieve for an extra silky smooth texture (you'll be surprised how many seeds and skin are left) and add it back to the pan on a low heat (photos 4-6).
Cook the pasta – now it's time to cook the paccheri pasta until al dente in plenty of salted boiling water.
Finish the dish – once cooked, add the pasta to the sauce, then add the butter and Parmigiano Reggiano. Stir everything together until the butter has melted and the sauce has a glossy shine to it. Serve in bowls with fresh basil and more Parmigiano Reggiano on top (photos 7 and 8).
Recipe Tips
- Chilli flakes – these add a subtle heat, but it's not meant to be a spicy sauce; you can leave them out if you prefer.
- Paccheri pasta – if you can find this particular shape, you can use another short pasta such as mezze maniche or rigatoni.
- Tomato season – this is a dish that will taste best when tomatoes are in season. When it's out of season, we recommend using 14 oz (400g) canned plum tomatoes and 1 lb (450g) fresh red cherry tomatoes for added sweetness or 14oz (400g) canned cherry tomatoes.
More easy pasta recipes to try
Pasta
Pasta alle Sette P (Seven P's Pasta)
Pasta
Orecchiette alla Positanese (Sausage, Tomato and Burrata)
Sauces & Dressings
Sugo Finto (Vegetable Sauce)
Pasta
Roasted Cherry Tomato Spaghetti with Burrata and Nduja
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
- 450 g (1 lb) Paccheri pasta ((or other short pasta))
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon chilli flakes
- 360 g (13 oz) fresh San Marzano or plum tomatoes ((about 3 large))
- 675 g (1.5 lbs) cherry tomatoes and yellow baby plum tomatoes ((half of each))
- Salt and pepper
- Olive oil
- 50 g (3.5 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 30 g (scant half cup) Parmigiano Reggiano (finely grated)
- Fresh basil (for garnish (optional))
Equipment
- Blender
- Sieve
Method
Prep - cut all the cherry tomatoes in half and roughly chop the San Marzanos. Peel the garlic cloves but keep them whole.
Heat 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan and add the whole peeled garlic cloves. Saute them gently until they start to take on some colour. Add the chilli flakes for a few seconds.
Next, add all of the chopped tomatoes with a good pinch of salt and pepper and let them simmer on a medium-low heat for 30 minutes. Stir it every now and then.
After 30 minutes, remove the garlic and blend the sauce with a regular or immersion blender until smooth. Pass the sauce through a sieve to get it extra smooth and back into the pan.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Add the pasta and cook until al dente.
Keep the sauce on a low heat until the pasta is ready. Transfer the cooked pasta to the sauce and add the butter and Parmigiano Reggiano. Stir until the butter has melted and the pasta is evenly coated in the sauce.
Serve in bowls with some fresh basil and more Parmigiano Reggiano on top.
Kitchen notes
- Prep ahead and storage you can make the sauce in advance and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Sauce alternative if you can't find a good variety of fresh tomatoes, you can use 1 can (400g/14oz) of canned plum tomatoes (we use Mutti) and 1lb (450g) of fresh cherry tomatoes. Follow the recipe as directed.
