Pasta with Tomato Sauce

Pasta with tomato sauce can be a standard emergency meal: take a box of pasta and a jar of tomato sauce from your pantry shelves. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package, drain it, heat the sauce in a saucepan and serve.

 

With a little more time you can find ingredients in your well-stocked pantry to make your own sauce. The quality of the canned tomatoes is important, so try different ones to learn what you like; San Marzano tomatoes from Italy are acclaimed for being the best.

 

This is a basic recipe and you can experiment with different combinations of additions. Some variations to try are adding minced onions, celery, and carrots along with the garlic and cook them a few minutes until they are soft. Other herbs to try are oregano, thyme and bay leaf.

 

Don’t be afraid to make more sauce than you’ll use initially, as you can always freeze extra sauce for last-minute meals. Don’t forget that tomato sauce does not have to be just for pasta.

 

SERVES 4 TO 5

 

 

Ingredients: 

2 tablespoons olive oil

 

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

 

1 28 ounce can crushed tomatoe or 1 ½ lbs. good fresh tomatoes, chopped;

peeling them is optional, and easier to do if you dunk them in boiling water for about 15 seconds

1 teaspoon dried basil or about 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh basil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

 

1 pound pasta

 

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Instructions: 

▪ Heat the olive oil in a saucepan over low heat and add the garlic. Cook a few minutes without letting it brown.

 

▪ Add the tomatoes, basil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook on low heat about 15 minutes for canned tomatoes, and perhaps up to twice that long for fresh tomatoes to allow some of the liquid to evaporate.

 

▪ To cook the pasta, fill a large pot with 4 quarts of cold water, cover it and bring to a full boil.

 

▪ Add salt to taste to the boiling water. Add the pasta all at once, stir it to get it uniformly cooking and set a timer for the recommended time on the package. A minute or so before the end time, taste a piece of it for doneness. You’re looking for just a bit of resistance as you bite into it; not too hard and not too soft, but “al dente” or “to the tooth”.

 

▪ When the pasta is done, drain it and return it to the empty but warm pot, add the sauce and toss it to combine it with the pasta. Transfer to a serving bowl.