If you are looking for a simple, yet delicious pasta recipe, Spaghetti al Pomodoro is always a classic Italian go to. In simple terms, it is a pasta dish with tomato sauce. Of course, there are ways to spice it up, for example, my personal favorite is to add some burrata cheese and fresh basil to finish it off. If you love cheese, why not top that with some grated parmesan cheese as well?
I have tried many different Spaghetti al Pomodoro recipes and many of which are heavenly; however, I have come to find my absolute favorite recipe by combining many of them over the years. Personally, I love when the sauce is creamy and rich rather than a lighter olive oil sauce with tomatoes; therefore, this recipe gives you a chance to use an immersion blender to crush your tomatoes or you can let them be as they are. Your choice! Remember that the longer you let it simmer for, the better the results.
Other than the fact that this is a delicious recipe, it is a great choice if you are having guests over for dinner. Yes, it is a simple recipe, but it is also a vegetarian dish that you could easily make vegan by substituting the butter for more olive oil and dodging the cheese. With that said, if you are not certain if any of your guests or their plus ones are vegetarian or vegan, choose this recipe as it is something that will satisfy all of your guests.
Below is the recipe for approximately 4 people. Count on 20-30 minutes depending on how comfortable you are in the kitchen. Once again, this is the ultimate Friday night recipe, so let’s get started!
For 4 people, you will need the following ingredients:
· 500 g spaghetti
· ½ cup olive oil
· 1-2 tbsp. butter
· 600 g cherry tomatoes
· 3-4 garlic cloves (depending on your taste for garlic;))
· 1 bunch of fresh basil
· Chili flakes
· ½-1 cup of pasta water
· Salt & pepper
· 1-2 burrata(s)
· Parmesan cheese (optional)
Follow these simple steps to cook the perfect Spaghetti al Pomodoro:
1. Fill a pot of water and add salt, bring to a boil. Don’t be afraid of adding too much salt. It is the pasta water that will make the sauce creamy and rich and the pasta very tasty.
2. Prepare the tomatoes by cutting them into smaller pieces and place it in a bowl.
3. Prepare the basil, grate parmesan cheese (optional) and put the burrata(s) in paper towels to drain from liquid.
4. Take out a somewhat tall skillet or frying pan. Add a few tbsp. of olive oil and butter, cut the garlic and fry it together at a high temperature. Make sure that you do not burn the garlic as it will result in a bitter taste.
5. Place the tomatoes into the frying pan containing the olive oil, butter and garlic. Fry for a little until soft, stir, add chili flakes and let it simmer under a lid.
6. Now you can choose if you want to take an immersions blender to crush the tomatoes or if you want to keep the tomatoes as they are.
7. When the pasta is done, take it out of the pot and place it into the frying pan containing the sauce. Make sure it is on medium heat.
8. Now add ½-1 cup of pasta water and ¼ cup of olive oil, a little by little, to the pasta and sauce.
9. Add black pepper and basil (save some basil for garnish), then stir and taste. If needed, add extra black pepper and/or salt and taste.
10. Cut the burrata into two or four pieces. Place burrata on top of the pasta. You can either serve the pasta directly from the frying pan or you can serve it on plates. No matter what option you choose, place the burrata(s) on top and garnish with some fresh basil. Again, if you choose to add parmesan cheese, you can do so at this point.
Now serve and enjoy this Italian classic!
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