Tomato Basil Pasta

Tomato basil pasta is a simple dish of tender pasta coated in a bright, gently cooked tomato sauce finished with fresh basil. The key is cooking the pasta just short of tender so it finishes in the sauce without turning to mush, and using the starchy cooking water to loosen and bind the sauce.

Ingredients for Tomato Basil Pasta

Pasta is the base, cooked al dente so it firms up slightly as it finishes in the sauce. Canned crushed tomatoes provide the body of the sauce with a clean tomato flavor. Garlic adds depth and warmth when gently cooked in oil. Olive oil carries the garlic flavor and coats the finished dish. Fresh basil brightens the sauce with herbal notes, added at the very end so it stays green and fragrant. Salt and black pepper season both the water and the sauce.

Why This Tomato Basil Pasta Works

Cooking the pasta in well-salted water seasons it from the inside out, and stopping one minute before it is fully tender lets it finish cooking in the hot sauce without becoming soft. The starchy water you reserve does more than loosen the sauce: it helps it cling to the pasta and brings everything together into a cohesive coat.

Garlic cooked gently in oil releases its flavor into the sauce without burning or turning bitter. Adding the basil off the heat keeps it bright green and aromatic instead of turning dark and mushy. Tossing everything together in the warm pan for just a minute brings all the flavors together and lets the pasta absorb the sauce.

Mistakes To Avoid

Cooking the pasta all the way to tender before the sauce means it will turn mushy as it sits. The pasta should still have a slight firmness when you drain it, and the sauce will finish the job as it heats together on the stove.

Forgetting to save the starchy cooking water leaves you with a thin, runny sauce that slides off the pasta. This water is not filler: it carries starch that helps the sauce stick to each strand and brings all the flavors together.

Cooking the basil in the hot sauce turns it dark and bitter instead of bright and fresh. Add it after you take the pan off the heat and toss everything together at the last second.

Using too much oil makes the sauce slick and heavy instead of coating the pasta in a light, flavorful way. Two tablespoons is plenty for four servings, so the sauce clings rather than slides.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound pasta (such as spaghetti, penne, or linguine)
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, lightly packed
• Salt to taste
• Black pepper to taste

Step-by-step Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add salt until it tastes like the sea. Add the pasta and stir to separate.
2. Cook the pasta for one minute less than the package directions say, then drain in a colander, reserving one cup of the cooking water.
3. While the pasta cooks, warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant and just beginning to turn golden, about 2 minutes.
4. Pour the canned tomatoes into the skillet with the garlic. Stir and bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat.
5. Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly.
6. Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Toss to coat, adding the reserved cooking water a little at a time until the sauce loosely coats the pasta. You may not need all of it.
7. Remove the skillet from the heat. Tear the fresh basil by hand and stir it in. Taste and add salt and black pepper as needed.
8. Divide among bowls and serve right away.