Tomato basil pasta "pasta pomodoro" in Italian is an easy and delicious recipe that is perfect for a quick lunch or dinner.
You only need to plan for 10 minutes of cooking time, and simple ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry.
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What to expect
This classic Italian dish is also called 'Pasta al pomodoro'. "Pomodoro" in Italian literally means tomato. So when Italians say pasta al pomodoro, they mean pasta with tomato. In the US, the term pomodoro is generally used for a sauce made with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and basil.
But essentially, pasta pomodoro in Italy and in the US are the same thing. A pasta dish, generally spaghetti, in tomato sauce.
The first recipe for pasta al pomodoro was published by Ippolito Cavalcanti, a chef from Naples, in 1837. The recipe was published in the Neapolitan dialect. Here's the English translation. I tried to be as accurate as possible:
"Spaghetti al pomodoro: when it is the season, you will take 2.7 kilos of tomatoes, cook them and mash them; then take 1 ounce of lard, or 2 deciliters of oil, fry it with a head of garlic, and put it in the sauce. Boil 1.8 kilos of spaghetti, drain them when they are al dente, and throw them into the sauce; fill them with pepper, add salt and you'll see what you eat."
Isn't this fascinating? This is the text of a recipe from 1837, and the recipe is so modern. Pasta pomodoro was so loved at the time, that in a few years (there was no TikTok back then, so news travelled slow) it became a national dish.
Like Ippolito, I don't add parmesan cheese or butter to the recipe. Just good old olive oil. I also add a few basil leaves. Here's my recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Spaghetti: I like to use "bronze cut" spaghetti for this recipe. You can use any type of spaghetti. You can find bronze-cut pasta next to regular pasta at the grocery store. I like it better because it has a rugged surface that helps the sauce stick better to the pasta. Bucatini al pomodoro are also really good.
- Whole peeled canned tomatoes: you can replace whole peeled canned tomatoes with tomato passata, or any other type of canned tomatoes. I like whole ones because they contain the whole part of the tomato. If it's a season, you can replace canned tomatoes with fresh ripe tomatoes. But better canned, than unripe.
- Plum tomatoes: I like to add some smaller tomatoes to the sauce to give some natural sweetness to the sauce. My favorites are plum tomatoes, san marzano tomatoes, date tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes.
- Olive oil: frying tomatoes in oil is just so good. I like to use a good extra virgin olive oil.
- Red pepper flakes: I like to add a bit of spice to the sauce. You can replace red pepper flakes with regular black pepper, or with fresh red hot chili peppers, finely sliced. Adjust quantity based on your taste.
- Water and salt: I boil the pasta in plenty of salted water. Also, I add a pinch of salt to the tomato sauce. Good options for salt are kosher salt and sea salt.
- Garlic cloves and basil: fresh garlic and fresh basil leaves are very common in this recipe.
- Onion: finely chopped and fried with the garlic if you decide add it, but an optional ingredient. For this pasta Pomodoro recipe, we chose to exclude it.
Instructions
In a large pot, put the water to a boil. For the pasta sauce, cut the plum tomatoes in half and set them aside. In a large skillet or pan, on low heat, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil, crushed garlic, and chili flakes. Let fry gently for 1 minute. Don't let the garlic burn.
Add the plum tomatoes and let cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until they become soft. Then add a little water if they stick to the pan.
Add the pelati tomatoes to the pan and crush them with a fork, until you have a puree consistency. Let the tomatoes simmer on low heat while the pasta cooks, stirring occasionally. Season with two pinches of salt and add around 10 basil leaves in it. Add some pasta water when the sauce gets too thick.
When the water boils, salt it, then cook the pasta in it for 4 minutes less than indicated on the cooking package. If the package says 12 minutes, then cook it for 8 minutes only. While the pasta cooks, take care of the tomato sauce, stirring and adding water as it dries up.
When the pasta is ready, take it out of the water and put it into the pan with the sauce. Reserve a cup of the pasta water, we need it to finish cooking the pasta.
Finish cooking the pasta in the pan with the tomato sauce, adding one or two ladles of pasta water as the pasta cooks. Stir gently, and cook until the pasta is al dente.
Turn off the heat, and if you like, add a couple of extra spoons of extra virgin olive oil. Give it a final stir and serve with some fresh basil leaves on top.
Serving suggestions
We're big fans of easy pasta recipes! Pasta al pomodoro is a complete meal and frankly, one of our favorite choices for an easy dinner. That being said, if you want to increase your veggie intake a little (we're certainly trying) check out these healthy side dishes:
- Crunchy kale chips
- Fennel and orange salad
- Roasted artichokes
- Steamed artichokes
- Cucumber and tomato salad
- Brussels sprout salad
- Roasted broccoli
- Roasted Brussels sprout
- Oven-baked veggie tray
PSST! Are you also a big fan of vegan Italian recipes? If we missed one of your favorite Italian recipes on our site, let us know in the comments below. Comments and ratings help us improve our content, so leave us a note below if you like what we do ❤️
Tips
- Use 2:1 tomatoes to pasta ratio for the best balance between pasta and tomato sauce. That is, if you want to cook 7 ounces (200 grams) of pasta, then you need 14 ounces (400 grams) of tomatoes in total.
- Use two different types of tomatoes - small fresh ones, and whole canned peeled tomatoes - to make the sauce richer and the balanced sweetness and acidity of the dish.
- Undercook the pasta for 4 minutes before draining it because we finish cooking it in the pan with the tomato sauce. This will make the sauce much creamier as the pasta releases some of its starch into the sauce.
- Don't throw away the pasta water as we use it to finish cooking the tomato basil pasta in the sauce. Thanks to its high starch content, pasta cooking water is perfect to add to our sauce. It will make it creamier.
- Use bronze-cut pasta if you can. Bronze-cut pasta is best for this tomato basil pasta, as opposed to steel-cut pasta, because it has a rugged porous surface that will 1) release more starch making our final dish creamier, 2) allow the sauce to stick better thanks to its rugged surface.
Questions
Pomodoro sauce is a tomato-based sauce (pomodoro in Italian means tomato). The tomatoes can either be fresh or canned. They are cooked with olive oil, garlic, basil, salt, and chili pepper.
No, the original spaghetti pomodoro recipe from Italy doesn't have meat.
Pomodoro and marinara sauce are both tomato-based sauces made with olive oil, garlic, and occasionally some red pepper flakes. Pomodoro sauce is generally seasoned with basil, while marinara sauce with oregano and parsley.
The biggest difference, at least in Italy, is that pomodoro sauce is generally used for pasta, while marinara sauce is used for pizza, calzone, on bread, and with meat, but not on pasta.
Yes, you can use bucatini to make bucatini pomodoro or any other type of pasta. Pomodoro sauce is great with spaghetti, but also with any other pasta type.
Similar recipes
If you loved the simplicity of this tomato basil pasta, you might also like these 15-min pasta meals:
- Spaghetti Aglio e Olio
- Creamy mushroom pasta
- Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe
- Penne all'arrabbiata
- Lemon Pasta with spinach
- Pasta salad with lemon vinaigrette
- Pasta in spinach pesto
Do you have an everyday favorite pasta recipe? Let us know in the comments below!
Storage
Pasta al Pomodoro is best eaten on the spot. If you have some leftovers, store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours.
To reheat it, add it to a small pot with a dash of tap water and warm it up on medium-low heat. Add some fresh basil. Do not reheat more than once as this will destroy the texture of the spaghetti and its flavor.
For many more pasta ideas, check out our pasta category page.
Recipe
Tomato Basil Pasta
Ingredients
- 11 ounces pasta spaghetti, bucatini, penne
- 15 ounces whole peeled canned tomatoes
- 7 ounces plum tomatoes
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- ⅓ teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 15 fresh basil leaves
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ¾ gallons water to cook the pasta
- 2 tablespoons salt to salt the pasta water
Instructions
- Start by putting the water to boil. Then cut the plum tomatoes in half and set aside. In a large pan on low heat, add 3 tablespoon of olive oil, crushed garlic, and the chili flakes. Let fry gently for 1 minute. Don't let the garlic burn.Add the plum tomatoes and let cook on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until they become soft. Add a little water if they stick to the pan.
- Add the pelati in the pan and crush them with a fork. Let the tomatoes simmer on low heat while the pasta cooks, stirring occasionally. Season with two pinches of salt and add around 10 basil leaves in it. Add some pasta water when the sauce gets too thick.
- When the water boils, salt it, then cook the pasta in it for 4 minutes less than indicated on the cooking package. If the package says 12 minutes, then cook it for 8 minutes only. While the pasta cooks, take care of the tomato sauce, stirring and adding water as it dries up.
- When the pasta is ready, take it out of the water and put it into the pan with the sauce. Do not throw away the pasta water, we need it to finish cooking the pasta.Finish cooking the pasta in the pan with the tomato sauce, adding one or two ladles of pasta water as the pasta cooks. Stir gently, and cook until the pasta is al dente.
- Turn off the heat, and if you like, add a couple of extra spoons of extra virgin olive oil. Give it a final stir and serve with some fresh basil leaves on top.
Lenore
I love this recipe, it’s so simple, yet so good. The combination of fresh and canned tomatoes and bronze cut pasta is perfect 💚🤍❤️
Nico
Thank you sooo much Lenore! We are so happy you liked it 🙂