Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil Sauce
Spaghetti al pomodoro is Italy's simplest pasta: spaghetti tossed in a bright sauce of crushed San Marzano tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and fresh basil, finished with a splash of starchy pasta water so the sauce clings to every strand. One serving is about 425 g.
Tomatoes reached Naples from the Americas in the 1500s, but it took centuries before anyone thought to put them on pasta. By the 1800s, tomato sauce with spaghetti had become the defining dish of Naples: cheap, fast and made from ingredients any family could grow or buy, and it spread from there to the rest of Italy and the world.
Pairs well with: Crusty bread, green salad & a glass of red wine
Provenance
Italy
Naples Classic
Mediterranean & Italy
Time Dedication
35m
10m prep • 25m cook
Batch Yield
4 Servings
515 kcal per serving
1 serving ≈ 425 g
Technical Skill
Easy
Easy (One Pan Sauce)
Meal Timing & Digestive Fit
Breakfast
Not Advised
Lunch
Hearty Midday Main
Dinner
Ideal Hearty Main
Snack & Tea
Inappropriate
Naples Classic
Photo: Silvimelo, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Heritage Formulary
Estimated cost: Low — about $2–3 per serving at home (USD)
A good spaghetti al pomodoro is judged by the sauce: bright, fresh-tasting and clinging to the pasta, never watery or overcooked.
Execution Methodology & Culinary Technique
Prep Stage: Crush the Tomatoes
10 Mins • Knife Work
Crush the tomatoes, slice the garlic thinly and pick the basil leaves. Put a large pot of water on to boil now, so the pasta and the sauce finish at the same moment; this dish waits for no one.
Maestro Tip: Salt the pasta water until it tastes like the sea; it is the only chance to season the pasta itself.
5 Mins Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Warm 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a wide pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and cook gently for 1-2 minutes until pale gold and fragrant; do not let it brown, or the sauce turns bitter.
If the garlic colours too fast, lift the pan off the heat for a few seconds.
Done when: Garlic pale gold and fragrant, not brown.
18 Mins Gentle simmer, about 95°C (203°F)
Pour in the crushed tomatoes with their juices and a teaspoon of salt. Simmer gently for 15-18 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sauce thickens and turns a deeper red. Drop the spaghetti into the boiling salted water while the sauce simmers.
A wide pan reduces the sauce faster than a tall pot.
Done when: Sauce thick enough to leave a trail when you drag a spoon through it.
9 Mins Rolling boil, 100°C (212°F)
Cook the spaghetti in the salted water for 1 minute less than the pack says. Before draining, scoop out a mug of the cloudy pasta water; its starch is what binds the sauce to the pasta.
Never rinse pasta: the starch on its surface is what the sauce grips.
Done when: A strand bitten in half shows a tiny white dot in the centre.
3 Mins Medium heat, about 160°C (320°F)
Drain the spaghetti and tip it straight into the sauce with a splash of pasta water. Toss for 1-2 minutes over the heat until every strand is coated and the sauce clings. Take off the heat, tear in the basil, drizzle over the remaining olive oil and serve at once in warm bowls.
If the sauce looks tight, add pasta water a spoonful at a time until it shines.
Done when: Every strand glossy red, sauce clinging rather than pooling at the bottom.
Finishing Touches & Plating
Serve immediately in warm bowls with torn basil on top and the last of the olive oil drizzled over. Eat it at once: spaghetti al pomodoro waits for no one, and the sauce thickens as it cools.
Nutritional Physiology & Benefits
Energy
515
kcal / serving
Protein
15g
Complete AA
Carbs
84g
Complex
Fats
13g
Healthy
| Energy | 515 kcal |
| Protein | 15 g |
| Carbohydrates | 84 g |
| Fat | 13 g |
| Fibre | 5.1 g |
| Sugar | 7.7 g |
| Sodium | 751 mg |
| Energy | 121 kcal |
| Protein | 3.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 19.7 g |
| Fat | 3.1 g |
| Fibre | 1.2 g |
| Sugar | 1.8 g |
| Sodium | 177 mg |
Nutrition values are estimated — calculated from USDA FoodData Central values for the listed ingredients.
Vitamins & minerals: Vitamin C and lycopene (tomatoes), vitamin K and folate (basil), vitamin E (olive oil), B vitamins (pasta).
Lycopene from Cooked Tomatoes
Simmering tomatoes makes their lycopene easier to absorb, and the olive oil in the sauce helps the body take it up.
Steady Energy
Pasta gives slow, steady carbohydrate energy, which is why this is such a reliable everyday dinner.
Few Ingredients, Nothing Hidden
Tomatoes, garlic, basil, oil and pasta: a short ingredient list with no added sugar and nothing processed.
Food Pairings
To optimize nutrient absorption and elevate the sensory depth, pair with these authentic accompaniments:
Sides
Crusty Bread
A piece of crusty bread is for the last of the sauce; wiping the plate clean is part of the pleasure of this dish.
Vegetables
Simple Green Salad
A sharp, lemon-dressed salad cuts through the richness of the oil and resets the palate between bites.
Drinks
A Glass of Red Wine
A light Italian red matches the tomato's acidity instead of fighting it, which is why it is the classic pairing.
Full Menus
Bruschetta to Start
Bruschetta with tomato and basil uses the same flavours in a different form, so the meal feels coherent from first bite to last.
Complete menu
Start with bruschetta, serve the spaghetti al pomodoro as the main course with a green salad and crusty bread, and finish with fresh fruit.
Digestive Guardrails
To prevent digestive distress, sluggishness, or palate clash, avoid pairing the dish with these elements:
Heavy Cream or Cheese Sauce on Top
Cream dulls the fresh tomato flavour that this dish is built on; if you want richness, use good olive oil instead. This is general information, not medical advice.
Overcooking the Pasta
Pasta cooked past al dente goes soft and swells, and the sauce slides off it instead of clinging; take it out a minute early and finish it in the sauce. This is general information, not medical advice.
General information only, not medical advice — consult a doctor for personal dietary decisions.
Who Should Eat It
Health Conditions — Adjust or Avoid
If you have a medical condition, consult your doctor before changing your diet.
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