This is what you’ve been waiting for: A sauce that can be made with fresh or frozen tomatoes that doesn’t require any peeling or seeding–you don’t even need to cut them up! Just toss the whole tomatoes in a pot with some onion, garlic and seasonings and let your oven do all the work. Cooking the vegetables low and slow breaks everything down to a rich flavorful base. A quick hit with a blender makes the sauce rich and smooth, without adding a bit of cream. It’s so delicious you’d never guess how easy it is.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 2 hr 15 min |
| Active: | 15 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 1/5 pounds Roma or plum tomatoes
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon packed fresh oregano leaves
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 red onion, quartered
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving, optional
- 1 pound spaghetti
- Fresh basil leaves, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Add the tomatoes, olive oil, oregano, garlic, onion, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and the red pepper flakes to a large Dutch oven or oven-safe pot with a lid. Stir so that everything is coated in oil and spices. Roast in the Dutch oven, uncovered, until the tomatoes start to soften and split, about 1 hour.
- Stir and flip the tomatoes, then cook until the tomatoes, garlic and onion are all browned and very soft, about 1 hour more. At this point everything should be easily smashed with the back of a spoon. Transfer the pot to the stove and keep covered.
- While the tomatoes finish roasting, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta. Cook 2 minutes less than package instructions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain the pasta.
- Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water to the cooked tomatoes and carefully blend with an immersion blender, tipping the pot slightly if necessary to fully submerge the blender (or transfer to a regular blender) and blend until smooth. Bring the blended sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat, then add the drained pasta and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Adding more pasta water if the mixture needs to be saucier. Serve warm with a few basil leaves and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 385 |
| Total Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 66 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 5 g |
| Sugar | 7 g |
| Protein | 12 g |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 635 mg |