Spaghetti Pomodoro

Difficulty:

1/5

Ease of Preparation: Easy
Time of Preparation: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings

Every cook needs a classic spaghetti pomodoro in their arsenal of recipes, so allow us to present the recipe to beat them all! A rich, traditional sauce of San Marzano tomatoes served over spaghetti, and garnished with basil and Parmesan can be on your dinner table in less than half an hour!

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) red-pepper flakes
2 sprigs basil (on the stems)
1 lemon, juice
1 pound (454 g) package spaghetti or spaghettini
2 28-ounce (796 ml) cans San Marzano Tomatoes, (with juice) crushed by hand
Salt and pepper

Garnish:

Extra virgin olive oil
Parmesan cheese, shaved
Basil leaves, torn

Method:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Heat olive oil in a large, non-reactive saucepan over medium heat.

Add the shallots and sweat 3-4 minutes until soft.

Add the garlic, basil sprigs and chili flake and cook 1 minute, until just fragrant.

Add the tomato and heat through. Simmer over low heat for 10-15 minutes until thicker. Do not stir.

When ready, remove and discard the wilted basil sprigs. Add the lemon juice.

When the sauce is ready, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

When the pasta is about half-cooked transfer about half of the sauce (as desired, reserving excess for plating and/or other recipes) to a large skillet and bring to temperature.

Use kitchen tongs and a spoon to transfer the pasta directly from the boiling pot to the sauce in the skillet, allowing a bit of the cooking water (¼ – ½ cup/60-120 ml) to splash into the pan at the same time.

Raise the temperature to high and toss and cook the sauce and pasta together until the pasta has cooked through and the sauce has thickened and is clinging to the noodles.

Season with salt and pepper and divide into 4 serving bowls.

Serve hot; garnish with a bit more of the sauce, olive oil, parmesan cheese, and torn fresh basil leaves.