If you've been reading this newsletter for more than a few weeks, you might be under the impression that I'm a bit of a food snob.
I don't see myself that way, but you can judge for yourself.
I like good food, and I've always believed that you don't always get what you pay for, but you never get what you don't pay for. So I'm willing to spend a little more for better, fresher ingredients when I think they make a difference.
That said, I have a confession.
For years, our regular weeknight pasta dinner has consisted of hot breakfast sausage and good old Hunt's Garlic & Herb pasta sauce.
Yes. Hunt's.
It's about the cheapest pasta sauce you can buy.
For the sausage, think Jimmy Dean Hot, except I don't actually buy Jimmy Dean because corn syrup is somehow the second or third ingredient. Why sausage needs corn syrup, I have no idea.
I've made all kinds of tomato sauces over the years. I've done the slow-cooked Sunday gravy that simmers for hours. I've made simple sauces with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, and garlic. I've bought expensive imported tomatoes and tried recipes from Italian chefs.
My family always prefers "the regular kind."
Until last week.
I've been looking for excuses to use my new pasta maker, and this time I decided to make garganelli. If I was going to go through the trouble of hand rolling the pasta, I figured I should probably up my sauce game too.
The goal wasn't to make something completely different. I actually wanted to get as close as I could to "the regular kind"—a simple tomato sauce with a little spice and plenty of sausage—only made with fresh ingredients instead of opening a can of sauce and throwing in a chuck of breakfast sausage.
This is what I came up with.
It was exactly what I was hoping for.
And now I have a problem.
Apparently, my family is no longer willing to accept a pasta dinner that begins with opening a can and ends 30 seconds later with the microwave beeping.
Fortunately, this sauce doesn't take hours. If you do your chopping before you start, it comes together pretty quickly.
My wife doesn't like big chunks of tomatoes or onions in her sauce, so I also discovered a shortcut that makes the prep even easier. I don't bother finely chopping much of anything. I roughly cut the onion, garlic, and tomatoes, cook everything down, then give the sauce about 20 seconds in the blender before putting the meat back in.
Smooth sauce. Fresh ingredients. No hours spent standing over the stove.
And apparently, Hunt's has been officially retired from the starting lineup.
Serves 4
Ingredients
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12 oz hot Italian sausage, casings removed if using links
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1½ lb ripe fresh tomatoes, preferably Roma or plum
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2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
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4 cloves garlic
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½ small yellow onion
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½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
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1 teaspoon dried oregano
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½ teaspoon dried basil
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½ teaspoon kosher salt, to start
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¼ teaspoon black pepper
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1 tablespoon tomato paste
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½ cup fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
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½–1 cup reserved pasta water
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¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
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1 tablespoon butter, optional but recommended
Prepare the Tomatoes
Cut a small X in the bottom of each tomato. Drop them into boiling water for 45–60 seconds, then transfer them to ice water. The skins should slip right off.
Make the Sauce
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Brown the sausage in a wide skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, breaking it into fairly small crumbles. Let it get some real color on it. Remove the sausage and leave the rendered fat behind.
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Add the olive oil if the pan needs it, followed by the onion. Cook for 4–5 minutes until very soft.
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Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, and dried basil and cook for about 30 seconds.
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Add the tomato paste and cook for another 1–2 minutes. Don't rush this part. You want the paste to darken from bright red to a deeper brick red.
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Add the fresh tomatoes, salt, and black pepper. Bring everything to a lively simmer and cook for 20–30 minutes, crushing the tomatoes with a wooden spoon as they soften.
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Here's where I make one adjustment for our house: before returning the sausage, I pour the tomato mixture into a blender and blend it for about 20 seconds until smooth. If you like a chunkier sauce, skip this entirely.
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Return the sauce and sausage to the pan and simmer for another 10 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Don't automatically reach for the sugar. Keep it savory unless your tomatoes are unusually acidic.
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Lower the heat and stir in the fresh basil near the end.
Finish the Pasta
Cook your pasta until just shy of done, then transfer it directly into the sauce along with about ½ cup of the reserved pasta water.
Toss everything together over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, adding a little more pasta water if needed.
Turn off the heat and toss with the Parmesan and a tablespoon of butter. That little bit of butter helps round out the acidity of the fresh tomatoes without making the sauce sweeter.
You want the finished pasta nicely coated in sauce—not swimming in it.
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