diff --git a/tox.ini b/tox.ini
index 825e2639c6c..2b924a69c75 100644
--- a/tox.ini
+++ b/tox.ini
@@ -128,6 +128,7 @@ skipsdist = true
 [testenv]
 passenv =
                   EXTRA_CONFIGURE_ARGS
+                  EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES
                   TARGETS_PRE
                   TARGETS_OPTIONAL
     docker:       EXTRA_DOCKER_BUILD_ARGS
@@ -168,6 +169,7 @@ setenv =
     maximal:                                   IGNORE_MISSING_SYSTEM_PACKAGES=yes
     # What system packages should be installed. Default: All standard packages with spkg-configure.
                            SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS=--has-file=spkg-configure.m4 :standard:
+    recommended:             EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES_3=_recommended $(head -n 1 build/pkgs/_recommended/dependencies)
     minimal:               SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS=_prereq
     maximal:               SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS=:standard: :optional:
     conda-environment:     SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS=_prereq
@@ -535,7 +537,7 @@ setenv =
     #
     # Resulting EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES
     #
-                      EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES={env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES_0:} {env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES_1:} {env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES_2:}
+                      ALL_EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES={env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES_0:} {env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES_1:} {env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES_2:} {env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES_3:} {env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES:}
 
 # environment will be skipped if regular expression does not match against the sys.platform string
 platform =
@@ -558,7 +560,7 @@ commands =
     #
     # https://docs.brew.sh/Installation
     homebrew:      bash -c 'if [ ! -x {env:HOMEBREW}/bin/brew ]; then mkdir -p {env:HOMEBREW} && cd {env:HOMEBREW} && curl -L https://github.com/Homebrew/brew/tarball/master | tar xz --strip 1 ; fi'
-    homebrew:      bash -c 'case "{env:SKIP_SYSTEM_PKG_INSTALL:}" in 1|y*|Y*);; *) PACKAGES=$(build/bin/sage-get-system-packages homebrew $(PATH=build/bin:$PATH build/bin/sage-package list {env:SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS}) {env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES}); {env:HOMEBREW}/bin/brew install $PACKAGES; {env:HOMEBREW}/bin/brew upgrade $PACKAGES;; esac'
+    homebrew:      bash -c 'case "{env:SKIP_SYSTEM_PKG_INSTALL:}" in 1|y*|Y*);; *) PACKAGES=$(build/bin/sage-get-system-packages homebrew $(PATH=build/bin:$PATH build/bin/sage-package list {env:SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS}) {env:ALL_EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES}); {env:HOMEBREW}/bin/brew install $PACKAGES; {env:HOMEBREW}/bin/brew upgrade $PACKAGES;; esac'
     #
     # local-conda
     #
@@ -571,7 +573,7 @@ commands =
     local-conda:   bash -c 'cat {env:USE_CONDARC} >> {env:CONDA_PREFIX}/.condarc'
     local-conda:   bash -c 'if [ ! -x {env:CONDA_PREFIX}/bin/conda ]; then mkdir {env:CONDA_PREFIX}/conda-meta && curl -L {env:CONDA_INSTALLER_URL_BASE}{env:CONDA_INSTALLER_FILE} -C - -o {env:SHARED_CACHE_DIR}/{env:CONDA_INSTALLER_FILE} && bash {env:SHARED_CACHE_DIR}/{env:CONDA_INSTALLER_FILE} -b -f -p {env:CONDA_PREFIX}; fi'
     local-conda:   bash -c 'case "{env:SKIP_SYSTEM_PKG_INSTALL:}" in 1|y*|Y*);; *) {env:SETENV} && {env:CONDA_PREFIX}/bin/conda update -n base --yes conda;; esac'
-    local-conda:   bash -c 'PACKAGES=$(build/bin/sage-get-system-packages conda $(PATH=build/bin:$PATH build/bin/sage-package list {env:SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS}) {env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES}); {env:SETENV} && {env:CONDA_PREFIX}/bin/conda install --yes --quiet $PACKAGES'
+    local-conda:   bash -c 'PACKAGES=$(build/bin/sage-get-system-packages conda $(PATH=build/bin:$PATH build/bin/sage-package list {env:SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS}) {env:ALL_EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES}); {env:SETENV} && {env:CONDA_PREFIX}/bin/conda install --yes --quiet $PACKAGES'
     #
     # local-cygwin-choco: Use choco to install cygwin packages
     #
@@ -581,7 +583,7 @@ commands =
     # local-sudo:  Use sudo to run the system package commands as root
     #
     local-{root,sudo}:    bash -c 'case "{env:SKIP_SYSTEM_PKG_INSTALL:}" in 1|y*|Y*);; *) eval $(build/bin/sage-print-system-package-command {env:SYSTEM} {env:__SUDO:} update) ;; esac'
-    local-{root,sudo}:    bash -c 'case "{env:SKIP_SYSTEM_PKG_INSTALL:}" in 1|y*|Y*);; *) PACKAGES=$(build/bin/sage-get-system-packages {env:SYSTEM} $(PATH=build/bin:$PATH build/bin/sage-package list {env:SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS}) {env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES}); eval $(build/bin/sage-print-system-package-command {env:SYSTEM} {env:__SUDO:} --yes --no-install-recommends install $PACKAGES) || [ "$IGNORE_MISSING_SYSTEM_PACKAGES" = yes ] && echo "(ignoring errors)" ;; esac'
+    local-{root,sudo}:    bash -c 'case "{env:SKIP_SYSTEM_PKG_INSTALL:}" in 1|y*|Y*);; *) PACKAGES=$(build/bin/sage-get-system-packages {env:SYSTEM} $(PATH=build/bin:$PATH build/bin/sage-package list {env:SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS}) {env:ALL_EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES}); eval $(build/bin/sage-print-system-package-command {env:SYSTEM} {env:__SUDO:} --yes --no-install-recommends install $PACKAGES) || [ "$IGNORE_MISSING_SYSTEM_PACKAGES" = yes ] && echo "(ignoring errors)" ;; esac'
     #
     # All "local" environments
     #
@@ -591,7 +593,7 @@ commands =
     local:         bash -c 'if [ ! -d prefix -o -L prefix ]; then rm -f prefix; ln -sf {env:PREFIX:{envdir}/local} prefix; fi'
 
 ##commands =
-    docker:        bash -c 'build/bin/write-dockerfile.sh {env:SYSTEM} "{env:SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS:}" {env:WITH_SYSTEM_SPKG} {env:IGNORE_MISSING_SYSTEM_PACKAGES} "{env:EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES}" > {envdir}/Dockerfile'
+    docker:        bash -c 'build/bin/write-dockerfile.sh {env:SYSTEM} "{env:SAGE_PACKAGE_LIST_ARGS:}" {env:WITH_SYSTEM_SPKG} {env:IGNORE_MISSING_SYSTEM_PACKAGES} "{env:ALL_EXTRA_SAGE_PACKAGES}" > {envdir}/Dockerfile'
     # From https://hub.docker.com/r/multiarch/ubuntu-core/
     # configure binfmt-support on the Docker host (works locally or remotely, i.e: using boot2docker)
     docker-{arm64,armhf}:  docker run --rm --privileged multiarch/qemu-user-static:register --reset