Pasta with Tomato Basil Sauce
This Pasta with Tomato Basil Sauce is a perfect summer dinner. Pasta is tossed with tomatoes and loads of fresh basil. Topped with Parmigiano Reggiano.
Can anyone tell me something that shouts “summertime” louder and clearer than tomatoes and fresh basil? Tomatoes and basil are two ingredients that make a near perfect combination every time.
There’s the classic Caprese Salad with tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella. And Panzanella, the perfectly delectable use for day-old Italian bread, with tomatoes and basil. But today I’m bringing you my recipe for a simple, fragrant and nearly irresistible tomato basil sauce.
I make this recipe often during the summer months when the basil is growing faster than I can find uses for it. It’s quick, it’s easy, and your whole family will love it. Mine does.
Because this recipe uses so few ingredients, be sure to use the very best of each that you can afford. I like the Cento brand of San Marzano tomatoes and I always use real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese for this. It makes all the difference in the final dish.
How to Make Pasta with Tomato Basil Sauce
Start boiling the water and cook your pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.
Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion. Cook until the onion is softened, approximately 4-5 minutes.
Add the tomatoes with all their juice. Crush the tomatoes using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon.
Add the basil, a good pinch of salt, several grinds of black pepper and red pepper flakes. You can chop or chiffonade the basil if you like, but for this recipe, I like to just tear it into large pieces. Feel free to add even more fresh basil if you want to.
Cook for ten minutes or until the tomatoes are very soft.
Add the hot, cooked pasta to the pan and toss or stir to combine. If you feel that the tomato-basil sauce is a little too thick, add a spoonful or two of the pasta cooking water to thin the sauce.
To serve, top with Parmigiano-Reggiano and a little more fresh basil. Makes four very generous servings.
🧾 More Recipes You’ll Like
- Summertime Pasta Salad
- Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce
- Pasta Arrabiata
- Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce
- One Pot Pasta Dinner
- Mediterranean Shrimp with Angel Hair Pasta
- Creamy Ham and Red Bell Pepper Pasta
- Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato (BLT) Pasta
Have you tried this recipe? I’d really appreciate you giving it a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card or in the comments section.
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Pasta with Tomato Basil Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti or linguine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 28 ounces canned San Marzano tomatoes
- 12 large fresh basil leaves torn into pieces
- Large pinch of salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to the package directions. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the sauce.
- Heat the olive oil in a large, deep pan over medium-high heat.
- Add the garlic and onion. Cook until onion is softened, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes with their juice. Crush the tomatoes using a potato masher or the back of a wooden spoon.
- Add the basil, salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes. Cook for ten minutes or until the tomatoes are well softened.
- Add the hot, cooked pasta to the pan and toss or stir to combine.
- Top with Parmigiano-Reggiano and a little more fresh basil.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
More Tomato Basil Sauce Recipes …
- Tomato and Basil Bake from Taste and Tell
- Cheesy Tomato Basil Stuffed Chicken from Half Baked Harvest
- Cherry Tomato Basil Salad from Love and Lemons
- Tomato Basil Mozzarella Toasts from Tastes Better From Scratch
P.S. That was a very well presented recipe. And you do understand ingredients.
Former (& retired) owner of an Italian restaurant
Thank you so much, Donald! Your comment just made my day :-)
This is really not a comment on your recipe; it is a comment for your use.
It is in reference to a comment pertaining to your recipe: “Pasta with Tomato-Basil Sauce”. It was posted by smilinggreenmom on June 10, 2010. She suggests that you visit her blog. I just did – and the result was not what I expected! I did have good chuckle!
Oh my word! Well, I have taken care of that suggestion. Delete! (p.s. – thanks for letting me know!)
Yummmm!!
hey lana,
i had a guest for lunch this afternoon and i wanted to make pasta but i fancied the basil and tomato with garlic taste…and my my your recipe is delicious i must say i ended up eating most of the pasta leftover and my little toddler who doesnt like pasta loved it too..thumbs up i shall treasure this recipe….i taught my cook how to do it and she did it perfect :)
Thank you..
Hello Fatema – I’m so glad you and your toddler enjoyed the recipe! I hope you’ll visit the blog again soon. Cheers!
Great recipe and beautiful photos. I firmly believe that the san marzano tomatoes makes the best sauce and is worth the extra money to buy a can. Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe with us.
Judi
I agree that the quality of the ingredients make all the difference – real parmigiano, san marzano tomatoes, and really fresh basil. I buy San Marzano tomatoes when I see them on sale. Like no other canned product on the market. I buy parmigiano when I can afford it and a slice of a big wheel lasts a long time.
This looks amazing. You are making me so hungry.
Nothing quite like san marzanos and real parmigiano, is there? Making myself hungry thinking about it.
I love a great sauce recipe. Thanks for sharing!
What a wonderful classic…looks delicious:)
A wonderful summertime pasta! The tomato-basil sauce is fantastic!
Looks like perfect Summer fare to me!!! :)
A simple tomato sauce is all you need sometimes to make a cook pasta meal. That reminds me that I need to stock up on some basil again.
Yummity, yum, yum, yuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum! Can I come over? My basil isn’t growing that great right now – can’t wait until it gets going.