Pasta with Tomato Sauce Recipe. All Variations

Pasta tomato sauce: There’s nothing more delicious than homemade!

And so versatile: whatever you might like to throw in will make it only more exciting. It is guaranteed to leave all (repeat: all) its store-bought pasta tomato sauce counterparts in the dust. So go for it and try all my suggestions! In pasta tomato sauce dishes, it’s OK to use tubular hollow-shaped pasta and let the sauce go into the holes, which wouldn’t do for rich cream-based sauces (for these we need to use flat pasta).

To my basic pasta tomato sauce recipe, I have included several variations:

Scroll down, you’ll be happy!

Bring water to boil with a little salt and oil in a large pot, preferably equipped with a strainer insert. Add the pasta and cook accordingly to manufacturer’s instructions. Take out the pasta, letting it drain, and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Coarsely grind the onion and garlic in a food processor and add to the oil. Sauté until translucent. Coarsely grind the celery and parsley and add to the skillet, and sauté 1 to 2 minutes longer. Add all the remaining sauce ingredients, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium, cover and cook 30 minutes.

Transfer the pasta to a platter. Toss with the sauce, the reserved cooking liquid and freshly ground pepper. Serve hot. Makes 8 servings.

Pasta Tomato Sauce Variations: short and sweet selection please!

• Throw in some grated Parmesan (watch the added salt).
• Sauté some sliced mushrooms with the onion, garlic, etc.
• Sauté some spinach or Swiss chard leaves or grated zucchini with the onion, garlic, etc.
• Add some pitted, oil-cured olives (watch the added salt).
• Add some capers (watch the added salt).
• Add some dry white wine.
• Add some sliced basil leaves.
• Add some sun-dried tomatoes (watch the added salt).
• Roast 2 to 3 garlic heads and mash the pulp into the sauce.
• Add some sliced roasted red peppers, good-brand bottled OK.
• Throw in some rinsed canned anchovies or dashi powder, but don’t add any salt to the sauce.
• Go Tex-Mex and throw in some chopped cilantro, jalapeño, cumin, etc.