Preparing this dish is pretty simple, but I have a few tips to ensure that it comes out as delicious as possible.
For example, I can’t stress enough how important it is not to skip the last cooking stage. That last 5 minutes of simmering really releases the flavour!
I also wouldn’t recommend skipping the sugar, unless absolutely necessary – a hint of sweetness lessens the acidity of the tomato and gives a fuller flavour to the dish.
Furthermore, to control the level of spice, you have a couple of options:
Least spicy: throw a chilli pepper in the sauce while cooking and remove at the end.
Middle spicy: deseed the chilli pepper and chop the rest into pieces. Add it to the sauce.
Most spicy: Chop the chilli pepper, seeds and all, and add it to the sauce.
My favourite is the most spicy version, but the kids won’t eat it so I usually go for the first!
Chop the chili pepper and throw that in there too.
1 red chili pepper
Let it cook (bubbling) for another five minutes (don’t skip this!)
Crush the almonds.
1 tbsp almonds
Serve the pasta with the sauce, adding salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with the crushed almonds.
Notes
Kat’s pro tip: Don’t skip the final cooking stage, it really brings out the flavours. The same goes for the little amount of sugar, unless absolutely necessary to skip.
Make-ahead? Yes, you can make ahead of time, but I’d reheat and have it warm.
Freezable? Yes, it’s freezer friendly.
Here are some more satisfying recipes that you may enjoy:
Complete List of Fruits that Start with the Letter U (#1 is so ugly!)
Ok, fruits beginning with U is a tricky one. But don’t let that stop you. Read on for the full list!
It’s a strange list, this one, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much I did putting it together! It also contains my favourite fruit of all time.
Let’s see what fruit begins with the letter U and how you can use it if it’s up for grabs in your area.
Unveil the most popular fruits that start with U!
What’s a fruit that starts with U? The type of fruit I’m going for is considered culinary fruit, either by tradition or by scientific definition.
Ugli
The ugli fruit (such a mean name!), also known as Jamaican tangelo and uniq fruit, is a hybrid of grapefruit, tangerine, and Seville orange. Its distinctive look and taste were developed in Jamaica.
The citrus fruit has rough, wrinkled skin ranging in color from yellowish-green to orange. The fruit is bigger than a grapefruit and relatively simple to peel.
The ugli fruit taste suits many cocktails, smoothies, sweets, and sauces. If you don’t like grapefruit, you might want to give this one a try because it’s much less acidic.
You can also tell people you’ve made an ‘ugli cocktail!’.
The botanical name of the ugli fruit tree is Citrus reticulata × paradisi.
Ugni
Only one letter different, ugni, commonly known as Chilean guava or Ugni molinae, is a fruit-bearing shrub from Chile and Argentina.
This U fruit is round or oval and approximately the size of a blueberry (or a tiny grape). Fresh berries are deep red in colour and have white flesh.
Taste-wise, ugni berries fall in between the sweetness of strawberries and the tartness of cranberries and kiwis. They’re used to make jams, jellies, sauces, sweets, and drinks.
Umari fruit, technically known as Poraqueiba sericea, is a tropical fruit from the Amazon jungle in South America. Brazil, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador are its main locations.
Umari fruit is usually 2 to 4 cm in diameter. It has smooth and glossy skin that has a green or yellow color when unripe and turns a brilliant orange or red when completely ripe.
This unique fruit has a very creamy texture and buttery flavor. In fact, locals use it like butter to put over their bread. How cool is that?
Umbu
Spondias tuberosa, known as imbu, umbu, or Brazil plum is a Brazilian tropical fruit. It’s popular in the northeast of Brazil for its refreshing taste.
The round or oval Umbu fruit has thin and smooth green-to-yellow skin. Its sweet and tangy flesh combines pineapple, mango, and citrus burst of flavor.
Fresh umbu fruit is eaten by peeling the skin and eating the flesh or squeezing out the juice. Various drinks, ice cream, and pastries employ the juice.
Umbu jams and jellies can be smeared on toast or eaten as a topping or dip.
Umbra
Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands are home to the fruit-bearing tree Umbra (Spondias dulcis). You can also come across the names ambarella, June plum, and golden apple.
Umbra fruits are round, like little mangoes or apricots. Their ripe skin is smooth, yellow or golden, and somewhat fuzzy.
This U fruit tastes like a fusion of mango, pineapple, and citrus. It’s eaten raw or added to salads, sweets, and chutneys. Some cultures pickle young, immature fruit as a condiment.
Ume
Ume fruit also goes by the names Chinese plum, Japanese plum, and Japanese apricot. It’s a tree species native to East Asia and popular in Japanese dishes.
Its thin, fuzzy skin is green to yellow when unripe and crimson to orange when ripe. It has luscious, acidic flesh.
Ume fruit is culturally significant in Japanese cuisine and is used to produce umeboshi, a traditional condiment.
Umeboshi are pickled ume fruits preserved in salt and occasionally scented with shiso leaves. These sour, salty pickled fruits are consumed as a side dish or in rice balls (onigiri).
Umeshu, a Japanese liqueur, is also made from ume. It’s a sweet and fragrant drink created by soaking the fruits in alcohol, usually shochu or sake, and sugar.
Ume has potential health benefits in addition to its culinary usage. It may improve digestion, promote liver function, and supply antioxidants and vitamins.
This species is a member of the Prunus genus which includes plums, peaches, and cherries. It goes by the scientific name Prunus mume.
Usakhelauri grape
Usakhelauri, a rare Georgian grape variety (Vitis vinifera), makes excellent red wines. It’s mostly grown in Lechkhumi and Racha in western Georgia. Every year for my birthday I have red wine and cheese, and this one is my next plan. Roll on summer!
Usakhelauri grapes are dark purple or black and tiny. Their flavor profile and high sugar content create sweet and fragrant wines.
Usakhelauri grapes are notoriously low-yielding, making them a difficult variety to grow. Grapes are normally harvested with the utmost care and hand-picked.
Wines made from this grape are highly sought after by connoisseurs because of their rarity and high quality.
Uva Rara grape
Uva Rara is a red Italian wine grape varietal grown in Lombardy. Italian “Uva Rara” means “rare grape” due to its rarity compared to other grape varieties.
Uva Rara is typically blended with other red grapes to provide richness and depth to wines. It can include red berry, flowery, and spice notes.
Uva Rara grapes can also be developed into varietal wines. These medium-bodied wines with mild tannins include red fruit, herb, and earthy characteristics.
Uva Rara is also known as Bonarda Novarese.
Uva Tosca grape
Uva Tosca is a red wine grape produced in Emilia-Romagna, east-central Italy. It contributes to local wine production in Forlì-Cesena.
This type of grape was one of the few red wine grapes that could regularly mature in the foothills of the Apennines.
Uvalino grape
Uvalino is a red wine grape produced in Piedmont, northwest Italy. It contributes to Piedmont wine production despite its lesser fame.
Due to its high antioxidant resveratrol content, Uvalino has garnered notice in recent years for its health advantages.
As we’re starting to learn, many grapes start with U!
Uvilla
Uvilla (Physalis peruviana) is a fruit-bearing shrub endemic to Chile and Peru. It’s also commonly referred to as “Peruvian groundcherry,” “Cape gooseberry,” or simply “golden berry.”
Uvilla looks like a yellowish-green miniature tomato inside a husk, similar to a paper lantern, which turns from green to a golden or orange hue when the fruit is fully ripe.
The fruit has a nice sweetness-acidity balance. It’s frequently juiced, jammed, jellied, baked, or eaten fresh.
This is my favourite fruit of all time. I love the sweet bite with just hint of a sour behind it. In Germany, where I live, they are called Physalis and are relatively popular. In English-speaking countries they have various names, including cape gooseberry.
11 Surprising Fruits That Start With U: 2025 Edition!
Discover a world of extraordinary fruits that start with U. Explore their flavors, origins, and culinary possibilities in this captivating fruit guide.
