Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce with Basil

Easy Roasted Tomato Sauce with Basil

(shown with sweet sausage)

Why make the effort to make tomato sauce versus opening a jar of store-bought?

Because doing so makes the house smell wonderful  --- and roasting the tomatoes gives them a depth of flavor you just don't get in the jarred kind.

Plus this is SO easy.

All you need it a little extra time --- about 45 minutes longer than it normally takes to make pasta.

Don't skip the anchovies --- you won't taste them in the finished dish --- and be sure to buy high quality tomatoes -- San Marzano are the best.

Roasted Tomato Sauce with Basil (& Sweet Sausage) 
(adapted from the Bon Appetit, Nov 2013 issue)

Serves 4 for dinner or 6-8 as a primi

1 28 ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes
1 can of anchovies in oil
4 T. butter (1/2 stick)
head of fresh garlic, peeled and cloves smashed
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes
pasta of your choice --- bucatini  -- 12 - 16 ounces
fresh basil  (or dried)
1/2 pound ground sweet mild sausage (optional)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

In a roasting dish (glass or ceramic -- not metal), add the can of tomatoes with their juices then crush them with your hands or a potato masher.  Watch out --- they will squirt all over you if you are not careful.

Cut up the butter in to small pieces and evenly distribute.  Smash the peeled garlic if you haven't already and spread them over the tomatoes.  Add at least 3 anchovies from the tin.  Add salt and pepper.  Sprinkle red pepper flakes --- just a few if you want it mild --- or quite a bit if you like some spice to your sauce.

Roast for 35 minutes then check to see if the garlic is soft and mushy --- if not, continue to roast.  Mine took 45 minutes in total.

Remove from the oven, and carefully smush the mixture together with a potato masher or the back of large spoon.

Brown the sweet sausage if you are using it.  Make sure it is cooked through. (no pink)  Meanwhile, cook your pasta to the al dente stage.

Add the sauce to the skillet.

Add the fresh basil, torn into pieces, (or dried basil)

Add the al dente pasta, which has been drained, to the pan

and toss to coat the pasta with all of the sauce and let it finish cooking for a minute or two.

Twist and place a nice serving in a pasta dish.

At the table, offer Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top.

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