This has been my favorite 10 minute meal for a few years now and works well on evenings when I have very little time to prepare dinner. Few ingredients are involved and most of them will already be in your pantry anyway. If you don’t have fresh basil on hand, substitute 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (or dried basil) and place it in the pan just after the onion and garlic. Be sure to top your pasta with fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano or Pecorino cheese and serve with a simple butter lettuce salad and a crusty baguette from the market.
1 box Barilla pasta (any shape will do but favorites are rigatoni, farfalle and capellini for kids)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 can of whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano*)
8 leaves fresh basil, julienned
sea salt + fresh ground pepper to taste
Preparation:
1. Set a pot of water on the stove. Add 1 teaspoon sea salt. Turn on high and start boiling. Cook pasta according to “al dente” instructions (different shapes require different cooking times so check the instructions on the box).
2. Heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for a few minutes.
3. Then add the minced garlic (and dried Italian seasoning if you aren’t using fresh basil) and also saute for an additional minute or two.
4. Add can of tomatoes, including juices. Using a wooden spoon, break up the tomatoes (or if you’re feeling daring, crush them with your hands) and bring sauce to a simmer and allow the flavors to meld for a couple of minutes. Add good sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
5. Pour sauce into a blender and quickly zap the puree option (if you want to skip this option, use petite diced tomatoes instead of whole). If the sauce is too thick for your taste, add a little pasta water to thin out. Be very, very careful not to add too much (not over 1/4 cup).
6. Toss with cooked pasta and add fresh, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Costco is the cheapest place to procure this type of cheese (so happy Costco is moving into urban environments so we can all benefit!) .
Additional Notes:
For a “pink sauce” version, pour 1/4 – 1/2 cup heavy cream into the blender with the tomato mixture. My sister-in-law Tiffany taught me this trick.
* San Marzano tomatoes are special, heirloom tomatos from Italy. They have a stronger, sweeter taste than the standard Roma tomato and the only type of tomato approved by the Vera Napoletana. You can find these tomatoes at specialty food markets and nice grocery stores like Whole Foods. They run about $3.70 per can.
* While Barilla is consistently our go-to brand for pasta, I will pick up the beautifully-packaged De Cecco if it’s on sale.
The Walmart by our house also has San Marzano tomatoes! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
we love making this dish, and sometimes use fresh tomatoes on the chilly nights when the weather is making its transition from summer to autumn.
This was so good and so easy! Thank you!