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A plate of spaghetti with pomodoro sauce
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5 from 5 votes

Pomodoro Sauce (Sugo di Pomodoro)

Pomodoro Sauce is a simple, delicious Italian sauce made from fresh tomatoes, basil and garlic. We went all the way to Italy to learn this recipe and now we are sharing it with YOU!
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
0 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Pomodoro Sauce
Servings: 6
Calories: 66kcal
Author: Erica Walker

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
  • 5 cloves garlic crushed
  • 1 (28 oz) can San Marzano tomatoes whole, peeled
  • sea salt to taste
  • 10-12 fresh basil leaves or to taste

Instructions

  • Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds or until garlic barely begins to become golden brown.
    Two cans of San mMrzano tomatoes, three tomatoes, a jar of olive oil, and some fresh basil on a counter
  • Carefully add whole tomatoes and a little salt and lower the heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes (or longer). When tomatoes are soft, use an immersion blender to blend tomatoes until smooth.
    An immersion blender blending tomatoes in a pan
  • Tear basil into smaller pieces and add to the sauce. Add more salt to taste. You want to add salt until it balances out the bright, acidic flavor of the tomatoes.
    A pan with pomodoro spaghetti sauce
  • Remove from heat and toss with your favorite pasta.
    A plate of spaghetti with pomodoro sauce

Video

Notes

  • In Italy, parmesan cheese typically isn't added over pasta with pomodoro sauce. Sometimes a little Parmigiano reggiano is stirred into the sauce but not over the top. That's kind of an American thing. Do I still do it at home? Absolutely.
  • As mentioned above, this recipe is all about the tomatoes. You can't just grab any ol' can of whatever tomatoes you find on the shelf at the store and expect a good quality pomodoro sauce. Some care needs to be taken in finding the right ones. You have two choices here: Fresh or canned.
  • Add salt all throughout the process. Add a little at the beginning and then continue to add, a little at a time, as the sauce cooks. Taste as you go and stop once you get it just right. It might take making it a few times but eventually you will get it down. 

Nutrition

Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 35IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg