🍝 Spaghetti al pomodoro
Spaghetti al pomodoro is the most basic and beloved of Italian pastas: spaghetti in a quick sauce of tomatoes cooked with garlic and olive oil, finished with fresh basil. A good version is bright, slightly sweet and fresh rather than heavy. It is served simply, often with nothing more than a final drizzle of oil.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 320 g spaghetti
- 800 g ripe tomatoes or 2 tins of peeled tomatoes
- 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- A handful of basil leaves
- Salt
Method
- Warm the oil with the garlic in a wide pan over low heat for 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, crushing them, season with salt and simmer for 15–20 minutes until thickened. Remove the garlic.
- Cook the spaghetti until al dente and add it to the sauce with a splash of cooking water.
- Toss for a minute, tear in the basil and serve.
How to make it lighter
- This is one of the lightest pastas — the oil is the main extra; 1 tbsp oil ≈ 120 kcal.
- Add roasted vegetables such as peppers or aubergine for a bigger plate without much extra energy.
- Cook the pasta al dente and keep the portion around 80 g dry pasta per person.
History
Tomatoes arrived in Europe from the Americas in the sixteenth century, and by the nineteenth century tomato sauce on pasta had become common in southern Italy, especially around Naples. Today spaghetti al pomodoro is a staple of home cooking across Italy.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →