
Tomato Basilico pasta sauce is a classic Italian recipe that's perfect for warm weather. This sauce is made with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil.
The key to a great Tomato Basilico sauce is using high-quality ingredients, particularly the tomatoes. Fresh, flavorful tomatoes are essential for a rich and tangy sauce.
Basil is another crucial ingredient in this sauce, and it's best to use a mix of sweet and fragrant basil varieties. This will give your sauce a balanced flavor.
For another approach, see: Plant Basil with Tomatoes
The Sauce
The Sauce is the heart of any tomato basilico dish. It all starts with the soffritto, a quick sauce cooked on high heat in a frypan to give its own depth to the tomatoes. Use good quality extra-virgin olive oil, and lots of it, and remember that you’re softening the onion and garlic, not frying it.
Fresh basil is a must-have in the sauce. Toss in a big handful of fresh basil, or a generous teaspoon or two of dried if you really have to. The article suggests using a mix of regular basil and the slightly punchier dark-stalked Greek basil for added flavor.
Tinned whole peeled tomatoes are a great option, but even with the addition of sugar you may have difficulty offsetting the bitterness. Mash them up a bit in the pan and season with a pinch of sugar and salt. Don’t forget to slosh some water around in that tin to get every last bit!
Cook the sauce for 20 minutes or so on relatively high heat, stirring often, until you’re happy with the complexity of the flavor. This is the perfect sauce for fresh pasta, like our signature spinach ravioli or quicker spinach fettuccine.
Explore further: Buy Sugar Bomb Tomato Plants
Ingredients
To make a delicious tomato basilico, you'll need some essential ingredients. The amount of servings will depend on how many people you're planning to feed, but a good starting point is 4 servings.
You'll need a decent amount of pasta, about 1 lb, and a good quality box of De Cecco pasta is a great choice. For the sauce, you can use a variety of tomatoes, such as peeled tomatoes or crushed tomatoes.
A few cloves of garlic are also essential, and you can use either whole or chopped garlic cloves. Fresh basil leaves are a must, and you'll need around 10-12 leaves. Olive oil is also a crucial ingredient, and 1/4 XV olive oil is a good starting point.
Here's a summary of the ingredients you'll need:
- Pasta: 1 lb (De Cecco box)
- Tomatoes: peeled or crushed (1 lb or 400g tin)
- Garlic: 1-4 cloves (whole or chopped)
- Basil: 10-12 leaves (fresh)
- Olive oil: 1/4 XV (extra virgin)
You can also use canned tomatoes, such as 28-ounce cans of crushed plum tomatoes with their liquid. If you're using fresh tomatoes, you'll need around 5 pounds of ripe plum tomatoes.
Spaghetti with Basil Sauce
Spaghetti with Basil Sauce is a classic Italian dish that's hard to beat. It's a simple yet flavorful combination of tomatoes, garlic, and basil that's sure to become a staple in your household.
The key to a great spaghetti with basil sauce is using high-quality ingredients, like fresh pasta and imported canned tomatoes from Italy. These ingredients may be a bit more expensive, but the difference in flavor is well worth it.
To make the sauce, start by heating olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add a diced sweet onion and cook until translucent, about 7-10 minutes. Then, add 5 cloves of pressed garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
You can adjust the amount of garlic to your taste, but in this recipe, 5 cloves is a good starting point. If you're a garlic lover, you can add more, but be careful not to overpower the dish.
Once the garlic is cooked, add 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and cook for another minute. This will give the sauce a nice kick of heat.
The next step is to add the pureed tomatoes, which should be cooked until simmering, about 20 minutes. You can use a 28-ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes for this recipe.
As the sauce cooks, you can prepare the pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve a cup of the cooking liquid and then drain the pasta. This will help to create a creamy sauce when you combine the pasta and sauce later.
To finish the dish, remove the sprigs of basil from the sauce and add the reserved pasta water. Bring the sauce to a boil and then add the cooked pasta. Cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, depending on your desired level of doneness.
Finally, add the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Top with reserved basil leaves and serve immediately.
On a similar theme: Tomato Casserole Dish
Frequently Asked Questions
How to use Basilico barilla?
To cook with Basilico Barilla, boil salted water and cook Spaghetti 2 minutes less than the package suggests, then simmer the sauce in a pan over gentle heat. Follow these simple steps to bring out the best flavor of your Basilico Barilla dish.
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