Fast and Easy Pasta Sauce

Once I learned how easy it was to make my own pasta sauce, I never bought commercial sauce again.  As fast as it takes to boil pasta, you can create a fabulous sauce that is fresh and delicious, using ingredients that you may already have in your pantry.

Festonati with homemade sauce
topped with Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

All you need is some olive oil, a little chopped onion, a clove or two of chopped garlic, some crushed tomatoes (in Italy, I use polpa di pomodori), and maybe a bit of your favorite chopped herbs.  I use chopped parsley a lot (if you use parsley, make sure it's the flat-leaf, Italian kind), but sometimes I switch it up and use some chopped sage or chopped basil.  It depends on (a) what I have available, and (b) what flavor I'm in the mood for.

Pasta sauce with pomodorini and olives

To make the basic sauce, heat some olive oil in a pan and add chopped onion and garlic.  When the onions get nice and transparent, add some crushed tomatoes (we use canned) and let it cook down a bit while your pasta cooks.  Add your chopped parsley (or whatever herb you prefer) when it's almost finished.  When the pasta is almost ready, drain it, reserving a cup or so of the cooking liquid.  Add the pasta into the saucepan with the sauce and stir it in.  Add a little of the pasta water and let it cook until the pasta is finished cooking.

When we are just cooking for ourselves (2 people), we usually use  1/2 of an onion, 2 or 3 cloves of garlic, and around 1/3 of a can of tomato.  You can adjust the amounts depending on how many servings that you are making.  You can also add in anything you would like to the basic sauce.  Olives, pomodorini (cherry tomatoes), zucchini, etc.  Sometimes we will add in some shrimp to cook in the sauce, or some mussels.  We tend to add a little red wine into the sauce (if we have an open bottle).  This really gives it a fantastic flavor (and don't worry, the alcohol cooks out of it, so you can serve it to anyone).

Spaghetti with homemade sauce made with canned diced tomatoes
and sliced fresh zucchini 

The sauce should cling to the pasta and not puddle around the plate.  Italians (well, at least those that I know in Tuscany) don't eat "a little pasta with their sauce" in the way that I've seen it be served in America. Simone gives me a hard time if I make a bit too much sauce and jokes that I'm doing things like in America again. Funny thing is that I didn't like a lot of sauce when I was a kid.  I guess I was always a bit Tuscan, even before I realized it!

Give this pasta recipe a try the next time you make pasta.  If you are anything like me, you'll never go back to canned sauce again!

Fast and Easy Pasta Sauce

(for 2 people)

2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 medium onion, chopped fine

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped fine

1/3-1/2 can crushed tomatoes
salt to taste

chopped parsley (or other herb) to taste

1/4 cup (or so) red wine (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a pan and add the onion and garlic.  Let cook a few minutes, then add the tomato.  Let cook down while your pasta is cooking, adding the chopped parsley and salt to taste.  (Add the wine at this time, if you choose to do so.)  

When the pasta is not quite done, drain it, reserving a cup or so of the cooking liquid.  Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce and mix in.  Stir in a little bit of the cooking liquid (don't let the sauce get too thin) and let cook until the pasta is ready. 

Serve hot.