Best Fresh Tomato Sauce with Pasta
Simply simmered tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, basil makes for an incredibly fresh tomato sauce for pasta any day of the week.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 254kcal
Equipment
- 1 Deep pan
- 1 Wooden spatula
- 1 strainer for pasta
- 1 large pot for pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb Pasta
- 8 Roma tomatoes quartered lengthwise
- 3 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 5 basil leaves chiffonade
- Salt
- Oregano optional
Instructions
- To prepare the tomatoes, rinse and slice lengthwise to make two halves, then slice again to make quarters. Remember to keep the skin on!
- Finely slice the garlic cloves and set aside.
- In a deep pan, heat the tablespoons of oil on a medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes to the pan, toss them in the oil to coat and cover, lowering the flame to medium. Let the tomatoes sweat and “stew” down for approximately 5-6 minutes.The tomatoes will begin to separate from the skins, this is what we want!
- Add in the garlic, salt, and cover again. As the tomatoes begin to soften, use the wooden spoon or tongs to lightly press into each tomato to create a “sauce” – the tomatoes will turn very soft and start to resemble a tomato sauce.
- Take the basil leaves and roll them on a cutting board; slice them into thin strips and add to the tomato sauce.
- Lower the flame to a simmer and let it cook for another 3-4 minutes. Serve over pasta, fish, chicken, or vegetables.
Notes
Sprinkle the tomatoes with a good amount of salt as they render down in the pan. This will help season the entire sauce, and also aid in the breakdown of the tomatoes themselves.
Add the garlic halfway through the cooking time in order to preserve the garlic from burning.
Keep the heat on a medium to medium low flame so that the tomatoes stew and cook down instead of burning.
Cook your pasta to al dente then ladle directly into the sauce. The pasta will still retain some pasta water which will also add some starch to the sauce, naturally thickening it and giving even more flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 254kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 7mg | Potassium: 279mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 530IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg
