Pasta al Pomodoro
The plainest and best Italian pasta: good tinned tomatoes, garlic, basil and olive oil, cooked down until the sauce clings. Nothing to hide behind, so use the best tomatoes you can.
- Time
- 30 mins
- Serves
- 4
- Steps
- 7
- Ingredients
- 8
Method
- 01
Warm the olive oil with the sliced garlic over low heat until the garlic is pale gold, about 4 minutes. Starting gently stops it burning.
- 02
Crush the tomatoes in by hand, add a pinch of salt and a few basil stalks.
- 03
Simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce darkens and the oil separates at the edges.
- 04
Boil the pasta in well-salted water, pulling it out 2 minutes early. Keep a mugful of the water.
- 05
Fish out the basil stalks, then add the drained pasta to the sauce with a splash of pasta water.
- 06
Toss hard over the heat for 2 minutes, adding the butter, until the sauce clings rather than sits in a pool.
- 07
Tear the basil leaves in off the heat and serve with parmesan.
Cooking Tips
- Warm the garlic gently in the oil rather than dropping it into a hot pan - it burns in seconds otherwise.
- Finish the pasta in the sauce with a splash of pasta water so it clings instead of sitting in a pool.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Good tinned San Marzano tomatoes matter more than anything else here.
- A knob of butter at the end rounds the acidity; leave it out to keep the dish dairy-free.
What to Serve With It
- Tear the basil in off the heat and serve with parmesan.
Storage and Reheating
- The sauce keeps 4 days and freezes for 3 months. Cook the pasta fresh.
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