Garlic Tomato Spaghetti with Basil
Spaghetti tossed in a garlicky tomato sauce that clings to every strand, finished with fresh basil. A simple stovetop dinner built on pantry staples.
- Total
- 30 min
- Prep 5 · Cook 25
- Serves
- 1
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Simmering · Emulsifying
- Savory
- Stovetop
- Oven
Instructions
-
Fill a large pot with 1.5 l water and stir in 1 tsp salt. Set over high heat and bring to a rolling boil.
~6 min
Salting the water seasons the pasta from within as it absorbs liquid, so the finished dish tastes seasoned throughout.
-
While step 1 cooks
While the water heats, peel and thinly slice 3 garlic cloves. Pick 8 basil leaves and tear the larger ones in half.
~4 min
-
Add 100 g pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 9 minutes, stirring once so it does not stick. Reserve 60 ml of the cooking water, then drain the pasta in a colander.
~9 min
Cooking to al dente keeps the pasta firm so it finishes in the sauce without turning mushy.
-
Set the frying pan over medium-low heat with 2 tbsp olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and cook gently until pale gold and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Do not let it brown or it turns bitter.
~3 min
Gentle heat coaxes flavor from garlic without browning it, which would turn it bitter.
Keep the garlic slices whole and the heat low: they flavor the oil without scorching, which is what makes this sauce taste sweet rather than harsh.
-
Add 200 g canned tomatoes and half the torn basil to the pan. Simmer over medium heat, crushing the tomatoes with the wooden spoon, until the sauce thickens and the oil separates slightly, 8 to 10 minutes.
~10 min
Simmering reduces water and concentrates tomato flavor while breaking down the tomatoes into a clingy sauce.
Simmering Keep the sauce at a gentle bubble, not a rolling boil, and stir occasionally. It is ready when it thickens and the oil separates slightly.
-
Add the drained pasta and the reserved 60 ml cooking water to the pan. Toss over medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the sauce turns glossy and coats every strand. Off the heat, stir in the remaining basil and serve.
~2 min
Starchy cooking water emulsifies with the oil to make the sauce glossy and cling to every strand.
The starchy cooking water is what emulsifies the sauce onto the pasta. Add it a splash at a time and toss hard until the pan looks glossy, not watery.
Emulsifying Add starchy water a splash at a time and toss hard off the heat. The sauce should look glossy and coat the pasta, not watery.