Main dishes

Pasta al pomodoro

10 minutes Cook
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Pasta al pomodoro (pasta with tomato sauce) is perhaps one of the most iconic Italian dishes. Every Italian household cooks it, every single member of the family loves it. And it’s more than the colors of the Italian flag in a plate: it’s a celebration of simplicity that can only end with the tradition of fare la scarpetta.

Pasta al pomodoro, Italy in a dish

corinthian
There's only one dish that's more Italian than pizza: pasta al pomodoro is the ultimate symbol of Italian cuisine. Simple, quick to prepare, colorful and flavorful, it's a celebration of simplicity of home cooked meals.
prep time
5 minutes
cooking time
10 minutes
servings
2
total time
15 minutes

Equipment

  • 1 pasta pot

  • 1 colander

  • 1 sauce pot

  • 1 wooden spoon

  • 1 knife

Ingredients

  • 2.5 l water

  • 2 teaspoons of rock salt

  • 160 g of short pasta (such as farfalle, penne, maccheroni, fusilli...)

  • 1 can chopped tomatoes (or 6 fresh Roma tomatoes)

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 1 shallot or a 1/4 yellow onion

  • 1 pinch of salt

  • A few leaves of fresh basil

  • 2 spoons of grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano

Instructions

1

Bring the water to the boil

Put the water in the pasta pot. Bring the water to the boil over high heat. When it bubbles, add the rock salt.
2

Cook the pasta

When the water is bubbling consistently, pour the pasta in the water. Read the cooking instructions on the package: most pasta cooks al dente between 7-12 minutes, but it varies depending on the size and shape. Here we have used farfalle.
3

Prepare the sauce

If you're using fresh tomatoes, rinse well the tomatoes, pat them dry, and chop them into chunks. Peel the shallot (or the onion) and slice it thinly. Rinse the fresh basil leaves under cold water, set two leaves aside for each plate you'll serve, and thinly slice the rest. Heat the olive oil in a sauce pot, add the shallot, give it a stir to coat with the oil, and cook until it becomes translucent. Add the tomatoes, stir, and turn down the heat to low. add the chopped basil leaves, stir again, and continue to cook until the pasta is ready. The tomato sauce should lose its extra water in the process.
4

Serve

When pasta is al dente, take off the heat, strain, and transfer to the serving plates. Take the sauce off the heat and spoon it directly on top of the pasta in the serving plates. Sprinkle with grated cheese and decorate with the fresh basil leaves you previously set aside. Serve well hot. Buon appetito!

Notes

Italians do not typically cook with ready made tomato sauce. If you want to save time, use canned chopped tomatoes or pelati. Commercial marinara sauce often contains additional ingredients that do not belong in this dish. If the tomatoes are watery, cook over slow heat until the excess water is absorbed.
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