Description
This simple penne pomodoro is a weeknight dinner dream. Made with simple ingredients and bursting with bright tomato and basil flavor.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 28 oz. can peeled whole San Marzano tomatoes
- .25 oz. fresh basil (about 1/2 cup leaves)
- 1 tsp. sea salt
- 16 oz. penne pasta
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
- extra basil for serving
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large sauce pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and add in garlic, cooking until fragrant. Add in tomatoes and sea salt. Blend the sauce with an immersion blender until smooth.
- Add in basil (keep whole), and bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. Let simmer for at least 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, cook penne pasta according to package instructions.
- Drain and add pasta to the pomodoro sauce (or serve pasta and sauce separately so everyone can sauce their own). Toss to coat pasta and serve with thinly sliced fresh basil, a drizzle of olive oil, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Storage: Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. Reheat pasta in a skillet (covered) over medium-low heat until hot or reheat in the microwave.
- Ingredient notes: Use high-quality San Marzano tomatoes if you can.
- Prep ahead: You can make the sauce a day or two in advance.
- Special tools: A microplane zester is the best way to grate Parmesan cheese, and the immersion blender (which is also a mini chopper) is a favorite tool of mine.
- Serve with: Garlic bread, Italian chopped salad, kale salad, or garbanzo bean salad.
- Nutrition: Calories are an estimate and do not include Parmesan cheese.