Spaghetti al pomodoro is the canonical pasta of Italy — spaghetti dressed in little more than tomato, basil and good olive oil. Rooted in the tomato kitchens of the South after the fruit's slow acceptance, it is the dish Italians defend most fiercely as simple done right.
Sweet, sun-ripe tomato lifted by perfumed basil and the soft sweetness of golden garlic oil. Light, fresh and endlessly comforting — summer tomatoes at their simplest.
Frying then discarding the garlic perfumes the oil without bitterness, and a gentle simmer breaks the tomatoes into a silky sauce while preserving their fresh acidity.
Variations
With fresh cherry tomatoes, with a knob of butter for richness, pasta al pomodoro with rigatoni, with chili for arrabbiata-style heat
On the Palate
Where Spaghetti al Pomodoro sits in the Italian flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 4How it's made
8 steps · 5 min
- 18 min
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti.
- 24 min
Gently sauté whole garlic cloves in olive oil until golden, then discard.
Watch outTake the garlic out the second it turns pale gold — one shade past and the oil goes bitter and drags the whole sauce down.
- 31 min
Add peeled, crushed tomatoes and a pinch of salt to the fragrant oil.
- 415 min
Simmer gently for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Watch outSimmer low until the tomatoes collapse into a silky sauce and the oil pools red at the edges — a fast hard boil dulls their fresh tang.
- 51 min
Tear in fresh basil leaves near the end of cooking.
- 62 min
Cook the spaghetti until al dente and drain, reserving pasta water.
Watch outDrain the pasta a notch shy of tender — it keeps cooking as you toss it in the hot sauce.
- 72 min
Toss the pasta in the sauce with a little pasta water until coated.
Watch outToss with a splash of pasta water until the sauce clings and turns creamy on the strands — dry means it hasn't come together.
- 81 min
Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and more basil; serve at once.
