Down to Basics: Pasta with Tomato Sauce

By Ben Mims
For Cooking Newbie, a blog for beginner cooks

One of the simplest dinners to make is pasta with tomato sauce. And in my opinion, it’s still one of the most elementally satisfying, too. The key to its greatness is in the quality of ingredients you use.

Keeping costs low for everyday meals is always something to keep in mind, but when you make a meal with only four or five ingredients, you have license to splurge a little.

In this recipe, I only use shallots, garlic, basil, canned tomatoes and dried pasta. But if you have a little extra cash, try spring onions instead of shallots, or even throw in some ramps if they’re still around. Purchase high-quality San Marzano tomatoes, the gold standard, instead of the cheaper varieties, for the best flavor. One of my splurges is using purple basil instead of regular basil; it has less of a bold anise flavor and is more floral and spicy, which I love in this sauce.

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