📋Simple Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce Recipe

📋Simple Authentic Italian Tomato Sauce Recipe

This authentic Italian tomato sauce recipe is simple without many flavors or spices; garlic and basil are all you need. It is the basic principle of authentic Italian cuisine: simplicity is the winner when the tomatoes are tasty and full of flavor. Pasta al pomodoro o pasta asciutta is the pasta Italians would eat daily during the week. It has to be quick and made with easy Italian staple ingredients.

Course Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Keyword canned tomato sauce, Italian tomato sauce, Simple tomato sauce

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Servings people

Calories 456kcal

Author Laura Tobin

Equipment

Ingredients

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preparing the tomato sauce

Stir fry the garlic with the extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves peeled garlic cloves, 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Once brown remove the garlic from the pan
Pour the tomato sauce, watch out as it can splatter
2 cups homemade tomato sauce
Add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir
1 teaspoon salt
Add the basil leaves
3 leaves fresh basil leaves
Cover and let it simmer with the top slightly open

Prepare the pasta

Bring to boil a large pan of water with 1 tablespoon of salt
1 tablespoon salt for pasta
Pour the Maccheroni in the water and let them boil for the time indicated in the box (I always do 1 minute less as I like it al dente)
1 lb Maccheroni pasta
Drain the pasta and pour into a bowl

Seasoning the pasta

Add immediately 3 tablespoon of tomato sauce and stir
Add more tomato sauce on top and decorate with some basil leaves
Add some freshly grated Parmesan either in the serving bowl or bring it at the table for everyone to add their desired amount
5 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan

Video

Notes

For the tomato sauce, the best tomatoes are San Marzano. You can use a homemade sauce or a shop-bought one. I recommend the brand Mutti

When you buy canned tomato sauce, ensure the tin is perfectly intact, and there are no dents. Any damage on the tin can trigger bacteria in the sauce

If you use a homemade sauce, ensure the jar is vacuum sealed. It should be difficult to open

When I make the sauce, I remove the garlic once cooked. The oil will have absorbed the flavor from the garlic, and it is not necessary to leave it in the sauce, but if you like it, you can leave it in

The best pasta for tomato sauce is Maccheroni, but you can also use spaghetti, penne, or fusilli. Buy a good brand

I always cook the pasta 1 minute less than what is indicated on the box

Once the cooking time has passed, drain the pasta immediately

Season the pasta as soon as possible, do not leave it in the bowl. If your sauce is not ready, use some extra virgin olive oil

Serve the pasta immediately

Nutrition