A saucy celebration of peak summer Sungold tomatoes, this minimum-effort pomodoro-esque sauce gets all-day flavor from caramelized shallots and garlic, Parm, and butter. Also, the blender bully (me) is back and begging you to give this sauce a blitz to ensure each noodle is perfectly coated in that glorious golden sauce.
MAKE THE SAUCE: Heat a large Dutch oven or pot over low heat. Add the olive oil and shallots and cook, stirring, until they begin to caramelize, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until just barely golden brown, about 1 minute more.
Add the tomatoes and red pepper flakes. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, smushing the tomatoes with the back of a spoon to release their juices, until the sauce is slightly thickened and jammy, about 10 minutes. Turn off the heat. Let the sauce cool before using an immersion blender or blender and processing until smooth.
COOK THE PASTA: Fill a large pot with five quarts of water. Bring it to a boil and add 2 tablespoons of salt. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes shy of the package instructions.
SAUCE THE PASTA: Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium-low heat before adding the pasta. Using tongs, transfer the pasta directly to the sauce and add ¼ cup of the cooking water. Cook the pasta in the sauce for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Turn off the heat and add the butter, Parm, and another ¼ cup of cooking water. Stir until the sauce is glossy and emulsified, adding more cooking water as needed. Fold in the fresh basil.
SERVE: Plate the pasta, top with more basil, and serve.
Absolute perfection!!! Simple comfort. Nothing to improve on. Already dreaming about next summer’s harvest to. make this again! xo
SO GOOD! Only thing to change is adding salt. 11 out of 10!
I love this pasta recipe. It is so good. I now use tagliatelle pasta I find the sauce goes a lot better. I even add a pinch of nutmeg at the tomato stage
So so good. Different than your typical tomato sauce in such a rich satisfying way. Love that there’s no cream but has the same smoothness of a creamy sauce. Have made it three times in the past month.
Excellent recipe! Super easy to make and came out great. The low and slow shallots and garlic step is a game changer for flavor.