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Loading...This bright Italian summer pasta celebrates sun-ripened tomatoes at their peak. A quick sauté in good olive oil with garlic and torn basil lets the fruit speak for itself, finishing in the time it takes to boil the pasta.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time25 mins
Total Time40 mins
Servings4
Yield4 servings
Nutrition Facts
Per serving (estimated)
- 510 kcalCalories
- 18 gFat
- 3.5 gSaturated Fat
- 72 gCarbs
- 5 gFiber
- 8 gSugar
- 13 gProtein
- 420 mgSodium
- 620 mgPotassium
- 70 mgCalcium
- 3.5 mgIron
- 24 mgVitamin C
- 110 mcgVitamin A
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 1.5 lb ripe Roma or San Marzano tomatoes (about 6 medium)
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more for pasta water
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
For the pasta
- 1 lb spaghetti or bucatini
- 2 tbsp grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano, for serving
Directions
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a rolling boil in a large pot and salt it generously until it tastes like seawater.
- While the water heats, score a small X in the bottom of each tomato, blanch in boiling water 20 seconds, transfer to an ice bath, then peel, halve, squeeze out the seeds, and dice the flesh.
- Warm the olive oil with the garlic and red pepper flakes in a wide skillet over medium-low heat; cook gently 2 to 3 minutes until the garlic is fragrant and pale gold, not browned.
- Add the diced tomatoes and 1 teaspoon salt to the skillet, raise the heat to medium, and simmer 12 to 15 minutes until the tomatoes break down into a loose, jammy sauce.
- Meanwhile, drop the pasta into the boiling water and cook to 1 minute shy of al dente per package directions; reserve 1 cup of starchy pasta water before draining.
- Stir the butter into the sauce, then add the drained pasta and about 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water; toss vigorously over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce clings to the noodles.
- Off the heat, fold in the torn basil and an extra drizzle of olive oil, adjusting consistency with more pasta water if needed.
- Taste and adjust salt, then divide among four warm bowls, finishing each with grated cheese, a grind of black pepper, and a basil leaf on top.
Cook’s Notes
- Pick the ripest, most fragrant tomatoes you can find; this dish lives or dies by their flavor.
- Never brown the garlic—keep it over medium-low heat so it stays sweet and mellow.
- Marcella Hazan's trick of finishing with a pat of butter gives the sauce a silky, glossy cling without making it heavy.
- If tomatoes are underripe, add a pinch of sugar to balance the acidity.
- Reserve more pasta water than you think you need; starchy water is the secret to a sauce that coats every strand.
