Sugo Fresco di Pomodoro

Because we always have the ingredients on hand, this fresh tomato sauce is our go-to pasta dinner. Made with canned tomatoes, the sauce is nevertheless deemed “fresh” due to its short cook time. This sauce is completely vegan up until the point of adding the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

2/3 cup (165 g) extra-virgin olive oil

5-6 medium cloves garlic, chopped finely

Fresh basil, chopped, or about 1/3 of a 0.5-ounce bottle of dried basil

1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped

2 (28-oz cans) Cento San Marzano tomatoes (not the organic variety)

1 tsp salt, initially, more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 lb. (454 g, 500 g is also ok) macaroni (any type of De Cecco or one of the artisan pastas mentioned in Ingredients)

100 g grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus a little extra on the side for serving

1. Start boiling water for macaroni. Use enough water to comfortably cover the macaroni and no more. This will make the water starchier later.

2. Sauté garlic, onion, and basil in olive oil. You can speed up the work considerably by chopping the garlic and onion in a food processor (pulse it).

3. Add tomatoes by hand, removing any big stem ends. Add the juice from the can. Start breaking up the tomatoes at this point and continue to do so as they soften during the cooking.

4. Add salt and pepper to tomato sauce and bring sauce to a slow simmer.

5. In the meantime, cook macaroni according to directions on package, but for two minutes less than what’s recommended.

6. Check the salt level of the sauce and add more to taste.

7. If you do not like a chunky sauce, you can use an immersion blender to break up the tomatoes further. Alternatively, you could have used passata rather than canned tomatoes.

8. Once the macaroni has mostly cooked, transfer it to the sauce to finish cooking for the last two minutes. Also add 1-2 cups of the starchy pasta water.

9. For these last two minutes finish cooking the macaroni on high heat until it has the desired bite. Stir continuously to help it cook evenly.

10. Turn heat back down to simmer.

11. If you are serving some vegans, dish out their pasta at this point.

12. Mix in the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, a little at a time.

13. You might want to let the sauce cool down for a few minutes first.

14. Serve with extra Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side. Folks will often want to add a little extra on top.