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 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. macaroni (any type of De Cecco or one of the artisan pastas mentioned in Ingredients)

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

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.

3. Add tomatoes by hand, removing any big stem ends. Add the juice from the can. If you don’t like your tomato sauce chunky, you can break up the tomatoes at this point.

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. 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.

8. 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.

9. Turn heat back down to simmer.

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

11. Mix in 2/3 cup of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

12. Serve with the remaining 1/3 grated Parmigiano-Reggiano on the side. You might want to let the sauce cool down for a few minutes first.