Penne al Baffo (Creamy Tomato-Ham Pasta)

As the recipe notes, tomato puree is simply the American way of saying tomato passata. Passata/puree is smooth with no chunks or lumps and no ingredient other than tomato, except perhaps some salt. It has a very mellow flavor. Don’t substitute tomato sauce or paste or any other tomatoey stuff.

This is precisely why we subscribe to this newsletter. We made (and loved!) this recipe for lunch. Not only does it work (clearly, it has been tested) and is delicious. But that does not explain our enthusiasm. This is not some sort of “fusion” creation that calls itself “al baffo,” but really is not. It’s a classic recipe, one that we had heard about, and had never tried, not even in a restaurant, and wanted to make at home. We are very happy we did!!

Love this! Worked well with deli ham in a pinch, but ethereal with some leftover guanciale we had in the fridge. Hardest part was cleaning up my 4 year old after she devoured 2 bowls!

Italian tomato puree now commonly found in the US - sold in bottles

The best passata available in the USA is by Pomi. It is widely available. I use it exclusively here in Italy

Wow, so easy & yes…lip smacking good. I used a ham steak and cubed it. I’m sure other types of hams or guanciale or pancetta will work as well. For the person confused with step 2…use a 1/4 c of the boiling salted water (to be used later to cook the pasta) and add it to the can or glass jar that the tomato purée came out of so you get every last drop of that puree. Careful adding additional salt as the puree, ham, cheese already contain plenty…as does the salted water and cooked pasta.

This was truly delicious! Not satisfied with just deli ham, I also sautéed a few porcini mushrooms for the sauce. I will definitely be making this again.

Perfect to cook in the camper, fast, easy, delicious. Best with a glass of powerful red wine.

Passata means “passed,” in other words passed through a food mill or strainer to become smooth. The most common brand in Italy is Mutti, sold in jars (not cans) and I believe also common in US supermarkets. This recipe is authentic although Italians would use less sauce and garlic.

Tomato passata?

Looks amazing! The only change I'm contemplating is to substitute pancetta for the ham. Cubed pancetta is widely available at markets here in NC, so it would be an easy swap.

I buy glass tall jars of passata (Mutti) brand, they're 24.5 oz. BUT you can close them& keep in fridge

I spied a small container (1/2 can) of diced Muir Glen tomatoes in the fridge as I was getting out the wine for dinner. I threw them into the pasta at the last minute, just warming them through. Those occasional plump tomato bites were very nice.

It’s the Italian version of tomato purée. Feel free to substitute if you can’t find Passata in your local grocery

Wow, was this a winner! I had some reservations about it because of the lack of much seasoning. Very creamy, delicious. I used Boar's Head Bourbon Ridge ham, because after reading comments, wanted a ham that would definitely impart some smokiness and it was perfect. This is definitely a meal I could do on a weeknight - went together so quickly. Cut the recipe in half for two, with a lunch portion left over. My arm hurts a little bit from patting myself on the back with this one.