Pasta Pomodoro
Our cousins Paul and Dee can tomatoes every year. They usually give me a few jars, and I use them mostly for my pizza sauce, which comes out great. This year Paul invited me to his aunt’s house in Mineaola, NY to participate in the canning. Oddly enough, even though it is a tradition among many Italian Americans, I had never done it before. It was a lot of work, but also fun and satisfying. Taking home your own jars of freshly canned tomatoes is great.
Coincidentally enough, the day before the canning session, my daughter had asked me if I could make some pasta with tomato sauce soon. I bet you can guess what I used the first jar for. I decided what better use for them than making Bela happy, so I made this vibrant, fresh Pasta Pomodoro. It was a hit.
The Three Things That Matter
The tomatoes are everything. With a sauce this simple, the quality of the tomatoes is the whole dish. Home canned or good San Marzano DOP. Don’t use bland, watery tomatoes and expect magic.
Don’t overcook the sauce. Pomodoro is meant to be bright and fresh, not a long-simmered gravy. Just enough time to cook off the raw edge and let it come together.
Toss the pasta in the sauce to coat it. The pasta absorbs the sauce and everything binds together. Don’t just dump the sauce on top.
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Pasta Pomodoro
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 1 jar (about 24 oz) home-canned tomatoes, or 1 (28 oz) can whole San Marzano tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion, chopped fine
- 1 pound bucatini (or spaghetti)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- A handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
- Grated Parmigiano or Pecorino at the table (optional)
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- If using canned whole tomatoes, crush them by hand or run through a food mill. Add the tomatoes with their juices. Pour some water in the tomato jar or can, and swirl it around, then add to the pan.
- Season with salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.
- Cook 15 to 20 minutes, until sauce thickens. At the very end stir in the basil.
- While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and the bucatini. Cook uncovered over high heat until al dente.
- Drain pasta and add to the sauce in the sauce pan. Toss until well coated. Transfer pasta to serving plates, spooning the excess sauce from the bottom of the pan on top and serve.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Cook Time: 20 min
