Tomato noodle pasta

It is a pasta or noodle dish associated with tomato, but the name alone does not tell you whether the tomato is mixed into the dough or served as a sauce. Check the product or recipe description before choosing how to prepare it.

If it is dried pasta, boil it in plenty of salted water and start tasting a piece a minute or two before the packet’s suggested time; drain it when just tender. If it is a ready-made dish, reheat it according to its instructions rather than boiling it.

Fresh basil, grated hard cheese and black pepper are classic with tomato and pasta. For a more substantial meal, add cooked vegetables, beans, chicken or prawns.

Cool leftovers promptly, put them in a covered container and refrigerate; eat within two days. Reheat until steaming hot throughout, and only reheat a portion once.

Yes, if it is a cooked dish: freeze it in portion-sized, airtight containers and thaw it in the fridge before reheating until steaming hot. Cooked noodles can soften after freezing, especially if they were already very tender.

For a similar tomato-and-pasta meal, use ordinary pasta with tomato sauce; add basil or a little olive oil to bring the flavours together. If you mean tomato-flavoured noodles, plain noodles with tomato sauce are a straightforward substitute.