Spaghetti al pomodoro
Spaghetti with tomato and basil
Spaghetti al pomodoro: Italy's simplest tomato, garlic and basil pasta
From Naples to Turin, spaghetti al pomodoro is what Italian families cook on a Tuesday night when the cupboard holds little more than a tin of tomatoes, a bulb of garlic and a pot of basil on the windowsill. The sauce cooks in the time the pasta boils, turning sweet and glossy as the tomatoes break down in good olive oil. Because there is no cheese in the sauce it is vegan as written, and children love its plain, bright flavour. The most common mistake is burning the garlic: once it turns brown it makes the whole sauce bitter, so keep the heat gentle. Chef's tip: finish the pasta in the sauce pan with a splash of its cooking water for a minute, so the sauce clings instead of sliding off.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 14 oz spaghetticheck the packet for egg-free durum wheat pasta
- 1 tbsp saltfor the pasta water, plus a pinch for the sauce
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cloves garlicthinly sliced
- 1 ¾ lb tinned whole plum tomatoes2 tins, crushed by hand
- ½ tsp sugar (optional)only if the tomatoes taste sharp
- ½ oz fresh basilleaves torn
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Bring 4 litres of water to the boil in a large pot and add most of 1 tbsp salt.
8 minStep 2: Meanwhile, warm 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-low heat. Add 3 cloves garlic and let it sizzle gently until it smells sweet and is just turning pale gold at the edges, about 1 minute. Don't let it brown.
1 minStep 3: Pour in 1 ¾ lb tinned whole plum tomatoes with a pinch of the remaining salt and ½ tsp sugar if using. Raise the heat to medium and simmer, stirring now and then, until the sauce has thickened, the oil glistens on the surface and a spoon drawn through leaves a trail, 12–15 minutes.
14 minStep 4: When the sauce has been going for 5 minutes, drop 14 oz spaghetti into the boiling water and cook for 1 minute less than the packet says, until still slightly firm at the centre. Scoop out a mugful of cooking water before draining.
9 minStep 5: Tip the spaghetti into the sauce with a small ladle of pasta water and toss over a medium heat for 1 minute, until the sauce coats every strand and looks glossy rather than watery. Add more water if it tightens.
1 minStep 6: Take off the heat, tear in ½ oz fresh basil and drizzle over the rest of 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Taste for salt and serve at once.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 86 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 6 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does spaghetti al pomodoro take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 5 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of spaghetti?
- Linguine or any long pasta, same amount.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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