Sometimes simplicity is what’s for dinner. And with this sauce, simplicity shines.
It’s not often that you can whip up dinner with only 5 minutes of prep time and have it taste as good as this. The secret is great tomatoes and lots of fresh basil! Oh, and lots of garlic. And Parmesan cheese. Okay, so there are lots of secrets to this dish.
My husband and roomie magically appeared the minute the pasta was fully cooked. It’s funny how these things happen… do they have a “dinner is done” radar? Oohs and ahhhs issued immediately. I guess they’ll keep me around as the house chef for a little while longer!
I got this recipe from Christopher Kimball’s The Cook’s Bible. I haven’t used any other recipes from here yet, but I’ll be sure to let you know if I come across more winners like this one!
pasta with fresh tomato sauce
1 1/2 lb fresh tomatoes, diced (use homegrown ones, preferably heirloom!)
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, shredded
1 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh marjoram or 1/4 tsp dried
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp basalmic vinegar
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb pasta (I prefer farfalle noodles)
Combine all the ingredients except the pepper, cheese, and pasta and let marinate for at least an hour. Pour over pasta. Top with pepper and Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Note: I like to prepare this sauce and then let it sit on the pasta for a few hours so that the noodles absorb some of the flavors. This is not necessary, but it’s definitely tasty!
12 responses so far ↓
1 LeAnn // Aug 26, 2009 at 1:43 pm
Mmmmm, that looks good. And we have all those ingredients on hand. Hello, dinner!
2 Shirley Madsen // Aug 26, 2009 at 2:39 pm
This sauce alone makes it worthwhile to grow your own marjoram (and of course tomatoes and basil).
3 Erin // Aug 28, 2009 at 10:34 am
yeah! dinner tonight!! I can’t wait. Unfortunately, I don’t have any home-grown tomatoes (someday…someday), so I will be popping over to the organic produce market across the street for some of their delicious heirlooms, in about 20 min. Thanks for this. Looks wonderful
4 Erin // Aug 31, 2009 at 10:03 am
Made this last night for dinner. It was so simple and quick, and really delicious. I love the simplicity of it, you could really just taste all of the ingredients. My one year old lovedit, she could not get enough of those heirloom tomatoes! Tonight, the leftovers with a chicken breast and some garlic bread…mmm mmm. It was a hit at my house, thanks Paula
5 Courtnie // Sep 2, 2009 at 2:00 pm
I tried this. It was spectacular. And I’m Italian, so I know spectacular pasta.
6 Jo // Sep 2, 2009 at 5:18 pm
Paula loves me. I know because she made this for me, and it was delicious
7 LeAnn // Jul 28, 2010 at 7:00 pm
We had this for dinner tonight – so yummy! We had some leftover grilled chicken, so I threw that on top. The kids loved it too. Thanks!
8 Jo // Aug 24, 2010 at 5:22 pm
I’m making this for Lindsey tonight… So simple and so colorful. This is one of my favorites!
9 Amanda // Jul 22, 2011 at 5:21 am
This looks great! I’m definitely making it soon. How many servings does it make?
10 Paula // Jul 22, 2011 at 9:08 am
@Amanda – I would say 4-6 servings. Depends on how much sauce you like on your pasta and how much pasta you like to eat in one sitting (i.e. do you serve pasta alone or accompany it with salads, meats, etc.?)
11 Tina // Jan 23, 2012 at 1:35 pm
When those prime summer tomatoes are not in season, try cherry or grape tomatoes. They seem to have a consistant sweet taste year-round. I either half or quarter them or give the a quick pulse in the food processor. Fresh basil is a must, though!
12 Laura // Aug 16, 2014 at 5:23 pm
This recipe obviously made an impression on me that I came looking for it 5 years later.
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