Why you’ll love this spaghetti pomodoro
This easy recipe comes together with just six ingredients, so it’s an easy one to throw together in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy summer evenings. The cherry tomatoes break down quickly to create a light, dairy free sauce that is packed with summer flavors.
The secret to making your spaghetti pomodoro extra satisfying is the starchy pasta water. It turns an ordinary pasta sauce into a velvety smooth one that clings to the pasta. It’s so good you won’t even need cheese, but if you do have dairy eaters at home, feel free to add in a bit of freshly grated parm or some mozzarella.
More summeR recipes: peach and prosciutto salad / marshmallow stuffed s’mores cookies / arugula zucchini salad / strawberry and blueberry shortcake
Ingredient notes:
- Spaghetti – Since this recipe relies on just a few ingredients, the quality of your pasta matters. If you can, choose a bronze cut or bronze die spaghetti. Not only will you sauce stick to your pasta better, but your pasta water will be even more effective when it’s added to the sauce.
- Tomatoes – Grape or cherry tomatoes will both work in this recipe. We typically use grape because they are less expensive, but use what is available to you. Even a freshly chopped roma tomatoes will make a great pomodoro sauce.
- Fresh basil – Don’t skip fresh herbs in this recipe. Dried basil will give you a totally different flavor and it’s just not what we’re going for here.
- Dairy free parmesan – You really don’t need it, but if you want to serve this with a dairy free parmesan cheese, we really like Follow Your Heart‘s grated parm. It’s the closest we’ve found to traditional dairy cheese, and it’s already grated. Our second favorite option is Violife‘s parmesan block which can be freshly grated for that light and airy texture!
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s tips & tricks
- Skip the strainer. Whenever I’m making a double pot recipe like this, I tend to skip the colander and just transfer my pasta straight into the pan with the sauce. You can use a pair of kitchen tongs, or a spider for shorter pastas. This brings a little pasta water with the pasta, but that’s never a bad thing, in my opinion.
- Salt your pasta water! Don’t forget to add a decent amount of salt to your boiling water. This is one of the easiest ways to season your pasta before it hits the sauce and it adds so much flavor to your dish.
More dairy free pasta recipes: dairy free alfredo sauce / chicken bacon ranch pasta / jambalaya pasta / homemade spaghettios / BLT pasta salad
Spaghetti Pomodoro
Ingredients
- 1 pound spaghetti
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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