Tomato Basil Einkorn Pasta with Greens Recipe (2024)

Inspired by the deep red of the jarred tomatoes from Jovial Foods and their boast on the label of the “perfect tomato,” I decided to let them be the center of attention in the Einkorn pasta recipe I set out to make.

I was going to shoot for this recipe with sausage and greens at first, but when fresh basil showed up in our CSA share, I thought I’d do more of this tomato basil recipe to shine the spotlight on the tomatoes.

Of course, the CSA greens that get thrown into literally everything I make brought the dish back toward the first recipe, but without the sausage.

I wasn’t sure I’d get enough flavor in the tomatoes since I prefer fresh tomatoes for a dish like this when possible, but I think they may have started with quite a bit of flavor from the field itself.

The tomatoes are so thick and red through the jar, it almost looks like tomato paste with some diced tomatoes thrown in.

This recipe is sponsored by Jovial Foods.

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How is the Einkorn Pasta?

I’m guessing that most people trying einkorn pasta, available for purchase here, here, or here, will either have a discerning palate and appreciate the layers of flavor, or NOT be discerning and not notice any difference from wheat pasta.

My husband is in the latter group. He enjoyed the pasta but couldn’t explicate any difference from other wheat pasta that he’s had.

I thought the einkorn added a certain smooth nuttiness, but really well suited to pasta. It cooked easily, held up well, and was, in my opinion, quite delicious – better than the average.

Why Einkorn?

Einkorn is wheat and contains gluten, but it’s the oldest form of wheat we can find.

It is so different from modern varieties of wheat, in fact, that it only has two sets of chromosomes while modern wheat has six.

Einkorn, also called farro, was first likely hybridized into emmer, with four sets of chromosomes, and then spelt, a precursor to modern wheat, with six sets of chromosomes.

Einkorn is lower in gluten and harder to grow, as it needs more space between rows than modern wheat, which has been hybridized for efficiency, among other convenient factors.

Einkorn is also much more packed with nutrition than other wheat, partly because there are fewer plants taking minerals and goodness out of the same amount of soil. Here is what the pasta boasts:

• High in Thiamin, essential dietary and trace minerals
• Good source of protein, dietary fiber and B Vitamins.
• One 2oz. serving contains as much of the antioxidant Lutein as a whole egg.
• Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) twice that of whole durum wheat pasta.

Personally, I’m just in love with the fact that this is ancient, lovingly grown, and that the company has such wholesome intentions – they work with small farmers and aren’t afraid to plant less so that their food is healthier.

The fact that the pasta is really yummy and packed with protein, lutein and B vitamins is a bonus.

I’ve made three other einkorn recipes so far and really enjoyed them all:

• einkorn brownies (with sucanat)
• einkorn chocolate chip cookies (with sucanat as well)
• einkorn pizza recipe (with freshly ground flour)

Have you ever tried einkorn?

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