Pasta Napoletana
Pasta Napoletana is a simple and quick pasta dish made with tomatoes, extra virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and garlic.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 8 oz dried pasta spaghetti, bucatini, or fusilli col buco
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 28 oz cherry tomatoes halved
- 6 garlic cloves peeled and left whole
- 10 fresh basil leaves torn (plus more)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil on the stove. In the meantime, add the olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes (if using) to a cold skillet. Bring the heat to medium to allow the garlic and red pepper to infuse into the oil while coming up to temperature together, stirring occasionally. (Don't let this burn! Lower the heat if needed). The garlic should be browned but not burnt (about 5 minutes).
- Add the tomatoes to the olive oil along with a generous pinch of salt. Stir and allow to cook for ~3-4 minutes. Add the fresh basil and stir.
- By this time the water should be boiling. Add the pasta and lower the heat on the tomatoes to low, making sure they are cooking gently and stirring ocassionally.
- Once the tomatoes begin to soften, start smashing some of the back of your wooden spoon, allowing the juices to mingle with the olive oil. You should begingto have a thickened, gorgeous sauce. Taste and adjust salt and red pepper flakes as needed.
- Once the pasta is ready, add directly from the water to the pomodoro sauce, allowing some pasta water to come along. (If you need a bit more to thin the sauce, feel free to add some more of the starchy cooking water). Add some more torn fresh basil, stir, and enjoy.