Spaghetti Al Pomodoro Fresh Tomato Sauce Recipe

We’ve reached that time of year when it’s so hot the cicadas start buzzing in the trees mid-morning and become absolutely deafening by bed time. AKA MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR! Here in the Midwest, the daily cicada choir is usually a good indication that local tomatoes are ripe, ready, and begging to be turned into Spaghetti al Pomodoro. This simple, light, and fresh Italian tomato sauce recipe with pasta is like summer on a plate, and I wait on pins and needles all year long to make it. Pomodoro sauce is the ULTIMATE fresh Italian tomato sauce!

Pasta Pomodoro Sauce

Pomodoro means “tomato” in Italian, and pomodoro sauce, aka salsa al pomodoro, is a tomato-based pasta sauce that’s made from fresh tomatoes, olive oil, salt, fresh garlic, and fresh basil. Are you sensing a theme here? Fresh, fresh, fresh! Spaghetti al Pomodoro, or simply spaghetti pomodoro, is the sauce swirled with cooked spaghetti. In my case gluten free spaghetti. I really love Jovial’s Capellini (angel hair, y’all) and spaghetti, or Rummo gluten free spaghetti. This dish is also commonly made with linguini pasta. Bottom line: whatever you’ve got in the pantry is going to to taste heavenly when coated in this light and luscious tomato sauce.

Ingredients Needed

I love how pomodoro sauce is truly unfussy and the simple ingredients are all ones I almost always have on hand — especially in the summertime.

Fresh tomatoes: I use vine-ripened tomatoes for my fresh pomodoro sauce. It’s important that the tomatoes be very ripe (ie, this isn’t the best dish to make in December) and local if possible. Extra virgin olive oil: EVOO gives rich flavor to the sauce, especially after being infused with shallots and garlic. Shallots and Garlic: fresh shallots add a delicate onion flavor, while garlic adds an unmistakable punch of garlicky flavor. Fresh basil: fresh basil is torn into the sauce near the end of the cooking process so its herby flavor is still at its peak when serving. Sugar: just a pinch of sugar is added to balance out the acidity of the tomatoes. Salt and pepper: ‘nuf said. Butter: butter isn’t typically added to pomodoro sauce, though I personally love how it smoothes out the flavor of this fresh tomato sauce. I add it to the tomato sauce I make with canned tomatoes, too. Just a personal preference that I’d love for you to try. Spaghetti: You can’t have Spaghetti al Pomodoro without spaghetti! Again, I like Jovial and Rummo brands though you can use your favorite pasta. Angel hair or linguini is also delicious. Parmesan cheese: freshly grated parmesan cheese on top of each bowl of Spaghetti al Pomodoro is the cherry on top of this incredible dish!

Family Friendly Recipe

Making this pasta always reminds me of Ben’s and my vacation to the Amalfi Coast in Italy nearly 100 years ago (give or take a year or two). We stayed in the quiet, tiny town of Praiano, just down the coast from touristy Positano and on our daily walks up and down the stone stairways that got you everywhere you needed to go, we could hear and smell the residents cooking. MY GOSH, there were several times that I had to hold Ben back from knocking on someone’s door asking to stay for dinner! Here in the present day, we absolutely adore this dish. The last time I served it Gwen said, “I need this again and again and again!” and my boys, who generally prefer to see ground beef in their spaghetti sauce, love love love this recipe. Spaghetti al Pomodoro is the perfect example of simple is best. Combine a few fresh, everyday ingredients together to make this swirly, irresistable dinner tonight!

Serve it with Homemade Focaccia

How to Make Spaghetti al Pomodoro

Step 1: Prep the tomatoes.

Start the spaghetti pomodoro by peeling large, vine-ripened tomatoes. We do this by scoring the bottom of the tomatoes with an “X” then boiling them briefly to loosen the skin.

Carefully add the scored tomatoes to a large pot of boiling water then cook for 30 seconds.

Transfer the tomatoes to a colander to drain then, once they’re cool enough to handle, peel away the skins and discard. Easy! Tip: Turn the heat under the pot of water to low to keep it hot. We’ll use it to cook the pasta in a bit!

Chop the peeled tomatoes then transfer – seeds, juices, and all – to a bowl and set aside.

Step 2: Start the sauce.

Heat a large skillet with high sides, or a medium-size Dutch Oven, over medium heat then add extra virgin olive oil. Once hot, add chopped shallots then saute until tender, 3-5 minutes. Add pressed or minced fresh garlic cloves then saute until extremely fragrant but not browned, another 30 seconds.

Step 3: Simmer the sauce.

Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan with a pinch of sugar then simmer for 30 minutes, smashing the tomatoes against the bottom and sides of the pan every so often with a rubber spatula to smooth the sauce out, and turning the heat down to medium-low heat if necessary to reduce splatters. When the sauce has 5 minutes left to cook, add fresh basil leaves torn into small pieces, plus butter, salt, and freshly cracked pepper.

Step 4: Boil the Spaghetti

When the sauce has 15 minutes or so left to cook, bring the pot of water you used to boil the tomatoes in back up to a boil and season generously with salt. Add spaghetti noodles then you have two options: Personally I prefer method 2 because it infuses the pasta with the sauce.

That’s all she wrote! I’m telling you, make this once, and you’ll be planting tomatoes next summer JUST so you can make it on demand. SO fresh, SO light, SO darn delicious. I hope you love every last bite of Spaghetti al Pomodoro – enjoy!