Guido Pedrelli, the mastermind behind Nonna Box, has honed his culinary expertise for decades, inspired by family feasts in Emilia-Romagna. Mentored by his restaurateur nonna, he mastered Italian classics and furthered his skills with professional culinary studies in desserts and gelato making from Mec3. Today, he shares this rich legacy and authentic recipes through Nonna Box.
Expertise: Italian cuisine, Pasta, Pizza, Pastry, Dessert
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Perhaps the most classic dish in all Italian cooking is the pasta al pomodoro or spaghetti with tomato sauce. A big Italian family sitting around a table heaped with food, including a big plate of spaghetti noddles with delicious tomato sauce is truly iconic, and a symbol of Italy and Italian immigrants around the world.
In Italy, pasta pomodoro is a classic comfort food for kids, one of the most simple and quick pasta recipes that every mama makes for her kids for lunch or dinner.
Just a simple tomato sauce and pasta with each child’s favorite topping like grated cheese, fresh basil or even a little crushed red pepper flakes and the meal is served and tummies are filled!
This recipe is excellent served alongside a large salad and garlic bread to make it complete meal.
Equipment
large pot for boiling salted water to cook pasta
saucepan for cooking sauce
wooden spoon for stirring sauce
colander to drain pasta
serving dish
Ingredients
Spaghetti noodles (0.88 lb | 400 grams) – a high-quality package of dry spaghetti noodles or really any other shape of pasta works great with this tomato sauce.
Extra virgin olive oil (2 tbsp | 30 grams) – a medium quality extra virgin olive oil is sufficient, as it will be cooked you don’t need to use your most expensive one. Although Italians would not dream of using it, some American recipes for pasta pomodoro use butter instead of olive oil. If you like a creamy, buttery flavor, you can add an additional pat of butter to the sauce or completely substitute the olive oil with butter.
Tomatoes (1.1 lbs | 500 grams) – you can either choose canned tomatoes (San Marzano tomatoes are the best) or tomato puree to start with. Another option is starting with fresh whole Roma tomatoes or cherry tomatoes/grape tomatoes if you like a tarter taste. When using a large variety of fresh tomatoes you will need to quickly blanch the ripe tomatoes and remove the skin and seeds before chopping and cooking into a delicious tomato sauce. With grape and cherry tomatoes you usually leave both skins and seeds.
Garlic (1 clove) – we like to add in one or two pieces so that the garlic can easily be removed which makes this recipe even more kid friendly, however some people add crushed garlic and leave it in the sauce. An alternative to garlic is 2 tablespoons of finely chopped onion added at the beginning.
Salt (as needed) – you will need fine salt for the pasta sauce and coarse salt for the pasta cooking water.
Pepper (optional) – add a little dash of pepper if you like the taste.
Basil (as desired) – some basil leaves straight from a plant on your windowsill or from the garden will fill your kitchen with an incredible aroma. If you don’t have fresh basil, consider adding a pinch of dried oregano.
Cheese (as desired) – we love a sprinkling of grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese on top of our pasta dish.
Making pasta pomodoro step by step
Start the pomodoro sauce: Put the olive oil in a medium or large skillet over medium heat and then add the garlic clove that has been peeled and chopped in half with the little green part in the middle removed (photo 1). After cooking for two minutes, add the tomato puree or whole peeled tomatoes from the can (photo 2).
Season and cook the sauce: Season lightly with a dash of salt and pepper. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes when cooking tomato puree or about an hour with whole tomatoes, both over low heat. Remove the garlic clove and throw away. If you used whole tomatoes, either put them through a vegetable mill or use an immersion blender to make it smooth (photo 4).
Cook the pasta: Put a large pot of water on to boil for the spaghetti when the sauce is almost ready. Add salt to the boiling water, add the pasta, and cook following the package instructions for al dente (photo 5). Drain the spaghetti keeping a small cup of pasta water aside (photo 6).
Coat the pasta with sauce: Add the drained pasta directly to the sauce (photo 7) and stir until the sauce coats the pasta (photo 8). If the sauce is too thick, you can add a little pasta water when stirring.
Finishing touches and serve: Place in a large serving dish, garnish with fresh basil and serve. Each person can add finely grated Parmesan cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano as desired directly onto their own pasta.
Expert tips for your tomato sauce pasta
Real Italian-style pasta. To make your pasta come out very al dente like in Italy, set a timer with the amount of time indicated on the instructions and then drain the pasta at that time, setting aside a little cup of pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce and add some of the reserved pasta cooking liquid and stir together.
Types of tomatoes. Whether you are using fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes for your pomodoro sauce, most Italians prefer San Marzano tomatoes for this kind of puréed tomatoes sauce, however Roma tomatoes work well too. If you want to try something with a little more tang, you can use grape or cherry tomatoes instead. Read our guide on tomatoes for more helpful information.
Variations on this classic Italian dish
Pick a different pasta shape. Once you have tried this delicious sauce with spaghetti, go ahead and get creative and try any type of pasta you love. Unlike other sauces that have very specific types of pasta shape that they as associated with, the great flavor of this pasta pomodoro recipe works with any shape. Try short pastas like penne, farfalle or fusilli or long pastas such as chitarra or angel hair pasta. As long as you aim for al dente pasta you can’t go wrong with this pomodoro sauce.
Get spicy with red pepper flakes! You can add red pepper flakes to this pomodoro sauce recipe to give it an extra kick of flavor.
Reheating cold pasta can be a bit tricky. Start by warming up a sauce pan over low heat with a little water in the bottom of the pan. Pour most of the water out and add the spaghetti al pomodoro into the dish and gently stir over low to medium heat as it warms. If it is too dry, you can drizzle a little olive oil or a very small amount of water as you turn the pasta. When it is heated through serve with fresh basil leaves and a sprinkling of grated cheese.
How long does pasta pomodoro keep for?
You can keep pasta pomodoro in fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. We do not recommend freezing cooked pasta, as it doesn’t defrost well.
Step by Step PhotosMost of our recipes come with step by step photos, helpful tips and tricks to make it perfectly first time and even video!
This is a great recipe for a classic Italian comfort food your family will love. The best part is how simple it is, just some spaghetti and tomato sauce! It is one of the best dishes for a large group as it is inexpensive and filling as well.
Put the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat and then add the garlic clove that has been peeled an chopped in half with the little green part in the middle removed.
After cooking for two minutes, add the tomato puree or whole peeled tomatoes from the can. Add a dash of salt.
Cover and cook for 30 minutes when cooking tomato puree or about an hour with whole tomatoes, both over low heat, stirring occasionally. Remove the garlic clove and throw away.
If you used whole tomatoes, either put them through a vegetable mill or use a immersion blender to make the sauce smooth.
Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta when the sauce is almost ready.
Add salt to the water and cook the pasta by following the package directions for al dente.
Drain the pasta keeping a small cup of pasta water aside.
Add the drained pasta directly to the sauce or vice versa, and stir until it is completely combined. If the sauce is too thick, you can add a little pasta water when stirring.
Put in a large serving bowl and garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve. If you have extra sauce, you can add more sauce in the middle with a few extra basil leaves. Each person can add grated Parmesan cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano as desired directly onto their own pasta.
Guido Pedrelli, the mastermind behind Nonna Box, has honed his culinary expertise for decades, inspired by family feasts in Emilia-Romagna. Mentored by his restaurateur nonna, he mastered Italian classics and furthered his skills with professional culinary studies in desserts and gelato making from Mec3. Today, he shares this rich legacy and authentic recipes through Nonna Box.
