This is my nonna Enza’s pasta al pomodoro recipe! Using fresh tomatoes, the sauce come together in the amount of time that it takes to boil the pasta water, and cook the pasta!
When I was in Sperlonga this past September, I asked my nonna Enza to show me how she makes her pasta al pomodoro. She uses fresh cherry tomatoes that are grown on our family farm to make this sauce, and the flavor is incredible. It beats a canned tomato sauce hands down. There’s just something about those Italian tomatoes, sun and soil. The flavors of Italian-grown produce are just so much more intense and richer than they are here in Canada.
But I did manage to come very close to nonna’s fresh tomato sauce, and I will share all my tips below.
Let’s start off with the basics:
What is Pasta Pomodoro?
It’s simply pasta with tomato sauce. It’s made with tomatoes, garlic, onions, fresh basil, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. It has no meat in it, and is one of the most simple (but delicious) sauces you can make!
It can be made with canned tomatoes or fresh tomatoes, and as mentioned, this recipe uses fresh tomatoes.
What Types of Tomatoes To Use?
Cherry Tomatoes are the best tomatoes to use when making a fresh tomato sauce. It’s what nonna uses, and they’re sweeter in flavor than regular beefsteak tomatoes. They also have a higher pectin content, making them the perfect tomato to make a fresh tomato sauce.
I would not even recommend using grape tomatoes to make this sauce, it just won’t have the same result – stick with cherry tomatoes!
Do You Have to Peel the Tomatoes?
No – it’s not necessary to peel the cherry tomatoes. Their skin is thin, and doesn’t interfere with the sauce. All you have to do for this sauce is cut them in half before cooking them!
How to Make Pasta Pomodoro – Step by Step
In a shallow sauce pan, over medium heat, heat olive oil.
In mean time, boil a large pot of water and cook pasta in salted pasta water until al dente.
Add garlic and onions, and sauté until fragrant. Add tomatoes and parmesan cheese, salt and pepper (photos 1 & 2)
Cover, and let simmer for 20-25 minutes (photo 3)
Take the cover off the pan, remove the piece of parmesan cheese, and and stir in fresh basil. Add more salt and pepper if needed (photo 4)
Mix sauce in with pasta (photo 5). Plate pasta and garnish with more parmesan cheese.
Here is a video of my nonna Enza explaining how she makes here pasta pomodoro:
Extra Tips for Making Pasta Pomodoro:
- I used penne for this recipe, but you can use almost any type of pasta you’d like – spaghetti, cavatelli, ravioli etc
- Use cherry tomatoes only for this sauce (no grape/roma/beefsteak tomatoes!). They’re the best tomato to make a fresh tomato sauce.
- There’s no need to peel, seed or puré the tomatoes.
- If you want to make this recipe vegan, you can omit adding the piece of parmesan while cooking, and skip topping with parmesan once plated.
Other Easy Pasta Recipes You Might Like:
- Asparagus Pasta with Peas and Pancetta
- Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta with Creamy Burrata
- Clam Pasta (Spaghetti Alle Vongole)
If you’ve tried making this Pasta Pomodoro with a Fresh Tomato Sauce or any other recipe on the blog please let me know what you thought of it in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, TWITTER, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’ve been up to.
Nonna's Pasta Pomodoro
This is my nonna Enza's pasta al pomodoro recipe! Using fresh tomatoes, the sauce come together in the amount of time that it takes to boil the pasta water, and cook the pasta!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 cup onion, chopped into small pieces
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 small piece parmesan cheese, including the rind
- 250 grams pasta (penne)
- 6 leaves fresh basil, torn into pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
-
In a shallow sauce pan, over medium heat, heat olive oil.
-
In mean time, boil a large pot of water and cook pasta in salted pasta water until al dente.
-
Add garlic and onions, and sauté until fragrant.
-
Add tomatoes and parmesan cheese, salt and pepper.
-
Cover, and let simmer for 20-25 minutes.
-
Take the cover off the pan, remove the piece of parmesan cheese, and and stir in fresh basil. Add more salt and pepper if needed.
-
Mix sauce in with pasta. Plate pasta and garnish with more parmesan cheese.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
- I used penne for this recipe, but you can use almost any type of pasta you'd like - spaghetti, cavatelli, ravioli etc
- Use cherry tomatoes only for this sauce (no grape/roma/beefsteak tomatoes!). They're the best tomato to make a fresh tomato sauce.
- There's no need to peel, seed or puré the tomatoes.
- If you want to make this recipe vegan, you can omit adding the piece of parmesan while cooking, and skip topping with parmesan once plated.
- If the sauce is ready before the pasta is finished cooking, turn the heat down to low to keep it warm.
