Quick and Easy Spaghetti Pomodoro
For a while, I was doing a lot of experimenting trying to come up with a “signature” tomato sauce: my own special, nuanced, deeply flavorful recipe to make whenever I need a comforting plate of spaghetti (so, semi-weekly). My time and labor weren’t really paying off, though. All the different cooking methods and timings and ingredients weren’t producing anything particularly noteworthy.
This was when we had just moved to Morocco, and I was extra exhausted after work every day. At some point I finally said to myself: screw it, I just want to make a super fast sauce that I can throw together when I’m too tired to cook. And that’s how this quick, easy (and cheap!) spaghetti pomodoro joined my kitchen’s frequent flyers club.
Not everything needs to be complicated. Sometimes, simple really is best.
Sans fromage, if that’s what you’re into.
Tomato sauce, olive oil, garlic, dried spaghetti, and fresh basil. (And salt.) That’s it.
It’s ready in the amount of time it takes to cook your pasta, so 10-15 minutes, and you probably have all the ingredients on hand. It comes together REALLY fast, so you need to have everything ready to go so you don’t burn the garlic.
Not only is it vegetarian, but vegan, as well (if you forgo adding grated cheese). But regardless of whether you’re vegetarian, vegan, or an omnivore, it’s the perfect weeknight dinner, especially paired with a salad. Try my Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese Salad for another super quick and easy recipe!
Notes on the ingredients:
Tomato sauce: As with any dish that’s this simple, it’s best to use high-quality ingredients, but honestly, it’s still good with your bog-standard tomato sauce. Be careful pouring the sauce into the pan, as if your heat is too high it might sputter. You want to cook it down for a good few minutes, as it will take on a lovely caramelized flavor.
Olive oil: I’m lucky that here in Morocco, even basic olive oil is nice af, so that’s the one ingredient I would recommend you don’t use a crappy version.
Garlic: I use three cloves because I’m a garlic maniac. I cannot recommend less garlic than that because it’s physically impossible for me to understand anyone not liking garlic as much as I do. So, now you know what you’re dealing with here. The cooking time on the garlic is really important here: you want it to just be starting to turn golden. Don’t under or over cook it! Otherwise, straight to jail!
Basil: Fresh basil is a must! Dried basil will just make you sad.
Pasta: Spaghetti! Angel hair is good, too. Don’t use any of those sturdy shapes for this–the sauce will get overwhelmed.
Pasta water: I tend to cook my pasta in not much water, and reserve plenty to loosen up the sauce as needed.
Recipe:
Quick and Easy Spaghetti Pomodoro
Ingredients
Instructions
- Put the pasta on to cook according to package directions. Reserve a cup of the cooking liquid.
- Prepare the ingredients by chopping the garlic and basil.
- Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook until it starts to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Don't overcook the garlic! Add the red pepper flakes now if using.
- Carefully add the tomato sauce to the skillet and stir. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until it has thickened and turned a darker red color. Add salt and taste.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet along with a quarter cup of reserved pasta water. Combine and add more pasta water as needed. The sauce should be glossy, smooth, and evenly coating the spaghetti.
- Turn off the heat and add the fresh basil, combining evenly throughout the mixture.
- Serve immediately with optional grated parmesan.
