When making authentic Italian recipes, one of the keys to authenticity is all about freshness. Take this spaghetti recipe – the fresh cherry tomatoes and fresh basil leaves are what give it so much flavor. You simply can’t get the same authentic result using canned, frozen, or dried ingredients.
If you happen to spot some beautiful fresh cherry tomatoes on sale, grab them and make this wonderfully simple spaghetti recipe.
Cherry tomatoes are worth buying organically. In fact, the best ones are those you can smell through the packaging. You can use grape tomatoes instead since they’re very similar. Another great idea is growing your own. Tomatoes are especially easy to grow, even if you’ve never grown fruit or veggies before, and you don’t consider yourself to have a green thumb!
Grow your own and you’ll be able to make this wonderful recipe with homegrown produce whenever you want.
Why You’ll Love the Recipe:
This recipe is all about freshness. The fresh tomatoes and fresh basil are beautifully paired with spaghetti, parmesan cheese, and garlic. You don’t need a lot of ingredients when you’re using top-quality fresh produce. The flavor speaks for itself!
How to Serve It:
Pasta dishes are served very differently in Italy than they are in the United States. A huge bowl of pasta isn’t really a thing over there, while a small “first course” of pasta is common, and that is followed up with some kind of meat or fish dish with some vegetables. So try eating the Italian way and enjoying a small plate of this as an appetizer to kickstart your meal in style.
Ingredients:
- Red pepper flakes
- Spaghetti noodles
- Basil leaves
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Garlic
- Pinch of sugar
- Cherry tomatoes
- Parmesan cheese grated
How to make Spaghetti with Cherry Tomato Sauce:
Add the oil to a deep-sided skillet over low heat.
Stir in the garlic, and saute for 2 minutes.
Add in the basil, salt, red pepper flakes, sugar, and tomatoes.
Increase the heat to medium, and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften and burst open.
Crush most of the tomatoes open with the back of a cooking spoon.
Continue to simmer the sauce.
Boil the noodles in a pot of water until done to your liking, and drain well.
Stir the noodles into the sauce, and toss to coat well.
Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.
This simple tomato-based spaghetti dish is simple yet that’s where its appeal lies. It’s full of fresh flavors and easy to make too.
Spaghetti with Cherry Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- ½ tsp. Red pepper flakes
- 1 lb. Spaghetti noodles
- 1 C. Basil leaves
- ½ C. Olive oil
- 1 ½ tsp. Salt
- 6 Cloves of garlic minced
- Pinch of sugar
- 4 Pints cherry tomatoes
- ⅓ C. Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Add the oil to a deep sided skillet over low heat.
- Stir in the garlic, and saute for 2 minutes.
- Add in the basil, salt, red pepper flakes, sugar and tomatoes.
- Increase the heat to medium, and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften and burst open.
- Crush most of the tomatoes open with the back of a cooking spoon, and continue to simmer the sauce.
- Boil the noodles in a pot of water until done to your liking, and drain well.
- Stir the noodles into the sauce, and toss to coat well.
- Serve garnished with Parmesan cheese.
Can You Make It Ahead?
Since this is such a lovely fresh dish, it’s best served fresh rather than prepared ahead.
Storage Instructions:
Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Variations and Substitutions:
You can use grape tomatoes or even chopped large ones or sundried tomatoes. You can also add extra garlic if you like (the more, the better!)
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