Serving suggestion. Nutrition is approximate.
Equipment
- Large pasta pot
- wide skillet
- tongs or spoon
Before you begin
US cup = 240 ml; tablespoon = 15 ml; teaspoon = 5 ml. Use listed gram weights for consistency; weights are raw or dry unless described as cooked or drained.
- Use whole-wheat spaghetti if preferred; cook to the package time and expect a firmer texture.
Make it work
- Passata is strained tomato, not concentrated tomato paste.
Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min
Serves 4 / Prep 15 min / Cook 25 min. Times are estimates; chilling and resting are included in total time.
Ingredients
- 320 g / 11.3 oz Spaghetti, dry
- 3 L / 12.7 US cups Water for pasta
- 20 g / about 3 3/8 tsp Salt for pasta water
- 700 g / 24.7 oz Tomato passata
- 35 ml / about 2 Tbsp + 1 tsp Olive oil
- 2 cloves / 8 g / 0.3 oz Garlic, crushed
- 12 g / 0.4 oz Basil
- 3 g / about 1/2 tsp Fine salt for sauce
- 0.5 g / about 1/4 tsp Pepper
- 30 g / 1.1 oz Parmesan for serving
Step-by-step method
- Prepare before boiling
Crush garlic lightly and tear basil just before it is needed. Keep Parmesan separate for serving. Bring the measured pasta water to a boil in a large pot and add its salt. Keep a wide pan and tongs ready. - Make the flavor base
Heat oil over medium-low heat and cook garlic for 45 seconds. Add passata, sauce salt and pepper; simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring. Remove garlic if desired. - Cook the pasta
Add pasta to boiling water and stir for the first minute. Cook 1 minute less than the package al dente time; do not add oil to the water. - Reserve starchy water
Before draining, scoop out 300 ml / 1.3 US cups cooking water. Drain pasta briefly without rinsing so the surface starch stays available to help the sauce cling. - Combine with care
Add pasta and 60 ml / 1/4 US cup reserved water to tomato sauce. Toss over medium heat for 1 minute until just tender; add water in tablespoons if necessary. Turn off heat and add basil. Divide Parmesan over servings. - Serve four portions
Divide the entire pasta and sauce between four warmed bowls. Serve immediately; sauces based on cheese or oil thicken quickly as they cool. Extra garnishes are optional and outside the listed estimate.
Cook’s notes
Passata is strained tomato, not concentrated tomato paste.
Storage & reheating
- Refrigerate promptly in shallow containers at 4 C / 40 F or colder; use within 3 days. Reheat cooked leftovers to 74 C / 165 F. Refrigerate within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 32 C / 90 F.
Allergens
Contains: wheat, milk. Check packaged ingredients.
Approximate nutrition
Per serving: 457 kcal · Protein 16 g · Carbohydrates 74 g · Fat 12 g.
Approximate per serving of the complete recipe. Brands, substitutions, cooking losses and portion sizes affect the figures.
