Name: Spaghetti al Pomodoro
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 2-1/2 lbs ripe vine-ripened tomatoes (~4 large tomatoes); 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil; 1 shallot (chopped); 4 garlic cloves (pressed or minced); pinch of sugar; 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves; 2 Tablespoons butter; 3/4 teaspoon salt; freshly cracked pepper (to taste); 12 oz spaghetti; freshly grated parmesan cheese (for serving (optional))

Spaghetti al Pomodoro is the perfect recipe to highlight ripe and juicy summer tomatoes. This simple pasta dish is fresh and light!

overhead photo of a fork in a plate of spaghetti al pomodoro

“OMG – this was so delicious we couldn’t believe it! We have fresh grown tomatoes from our garden and wanted to do something like this – found your recipe and will make this on a regular basis till my tomatoes are done!”

– Kathy

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We’ve reached the portion of summer when it’s so hot the cicadas start buzzing mid-morning and become absolutely deafening by bedtime.

The all-day cicada choir is usually an indication that garden tomatoes are ready to be picked, then promptly used to make Spaghetti al Pomodoro.

This simple, light, and refreshing Italian tomato sauce is like summer on a plate, and I look forward to making it all year long.

Pomodoro is the ULTIMATE fresh tomato sauce!

Watch How to Make It

Pasta Pomodoro Sauce

Pomodoro means “tomato” in Italian, and pomodoro sauce is a pasta sauce made from fresh tomatoes, olive oil, salt, fresh garlic, and fresh basil.

Are you sensing a theme here? Fresh, fresh, fresh!

Spaghetti al Pomodoro, or simply spaghetti pomodoro, is the tomato sauce swirled with cooked spaghetti. Angel hair or linguine are fantastic choices too.

Pomodoro Freezes Beautifully

When tomatoes are growing faster than we can eat them, I love doubling or tripling the sauce recipe, then freezing so we can enjoy the flavors of summer in the middle of winter.

Cool the sauce then scoop into Ziplock freezer bags and freeze flat for 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat gently over medium heat.

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Main Ingredients Needed

Fresh tomatoes: I typically use vine-ripened tomatoes, but this recipe will work with any ripe, fresh, preferably local tomato.
Shallots and garlic: add craveable flavor to the sauce.
Fresh basil: torn into the sauce near the end of the cooking process so its herby flavor is still at its peak when serving.
Butter: isn’t typically added to pomodoro sauce, though I personally love how it smoothes out the flavor.
Parmesan cheese: is freshly grated on top of each bowl just before eating.

cooked spaghetti mixed with fresh italian tomato sauce

Family Friendly Recipe

Making this recipe always reminds me of the trip my husband and I took to the Amalfi Coast nearly 100 years ago (give or take a year or two). We stayed in the quiet, tiny town of Praiano, just down the coast from touristy Positano, and on our daily walks up and down the stone stairways that got you everywhere you needed to go, we could hear and smell the residents cooking.

There were several times I had to hold my husband back from knocking on someone’s door, asking to stay for dinner!

Here in the present day, my entire family adores this dish. Spaghetti al Pomodoro is the perfect example of simple is best. Combine a few fresh, everyday ingredients to make this swirly, irresistible dinner tonight.

Gluten Free Focaccia pairing optional, but recommended!

How to Make Spaghetti al Pomodoro

Step 1: Prep the tomatoes.

Start by peeling large, vine-ripened tomatoes. We do this by scoring the bottom of the tomatoes with an “X” then boiling them briefly to loosen the skin.

Carefully add the scored tomatoes to a large pot of boiling water then cook for 30 seconds.

ladle holding a tomato over a pot of boiling water

Transfer the tomatoes to a colander to drain then, once they’re cool enough to handle, peel away the skins and discard. Easy!

Don’t Drain the Water

Don’t drain the water in the pot after this step! Turn the heat down to low to keep it hot, as we’ll use the water to cook the pasta in a bit.

Chop the peeled tomatoes then transfer – seeds, juices, and all – to a bowl and set aside.

Step 2: Start the sauce.

Heat a large skillet with high sides, or a medium-sized Dutch Oven, over medium heat then add extra virgin olive oil.

Once hot, add chopped shallots then saute until tender, 3-5 minutes. Add pressed or minced fresh garlic cloves then saute until extremely fragrant but not browned, another 30 seconds.

shallots and garlic sauting in a dutch oven

Step 3: Simmer the sauce.

Add the chopped tomatoes to the pan with a pinch of sugar then simmer for 30 minutes, smashing the tomatoes against the bottom and sides of the pan every so often with a rubber spatula to smooth the sauce out, and turning the heat down to medium-low if necessary to reduce splatters.

When the sauce has 5 minutes left to cook, add fresh basil leaves torn into small pieces, plus butter, salt, and freshly cracked pepper.

ingredients for pasta pomodoro in a cooking pot

Step 4: Boil the spaghetti.

When the sauce has 15 minutes or so left to cook, bring the pot of water you used to boil the tomatoes in back up to a boil and season generously with salt. Add spaghetti noodles then you have two options:

Drain the pasta: Cook the pasta until it’s al dente, drain, then scoop onto plates and serve the pomodoro sauce on top.
Finish the pasta in the sauce: Cook the pasta until it’s just shy of al dente then transfer it to the sauce pot with tongs to finish cooking directly in the sauce. Add splashes of pasta cooking water if needed to cook the pasta all the way through.

Personally, I prefer method 2 because it infuses the pasta with the sauce.

adding cooked spaghetti to a pot of pomodoro sauce

That’s all she wrote! I’m telling you, make this once and you’ll be planting tomatoes next summer JUST so you can make it on demand.

SO fresh, SO light, SO darn delicious. I hope you love every last bite of Spaghetti al Pomodoro – enjoy!

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