As long as ripe tomatoes are in season, this fresh tomato sauce is my weeknight go-to for pasta dinners. Here, the vibrant five-ingredient sauce is served with pillowy gnocchi, creamy burrata, and lots of fresh basil.
Red pepper flakes add a bit of heat and round out the flavor. Use 1/4 teaspoon if you just want a pop of flavor and 1/2 teaspoon for a bit of spicy heat.
I used fresh Roma tomatoes in this recipe. Romas and other paste tomatoes are ideal for making sauce, but you can use any kind of slicer you may have on hand. Slicing or heirloom tomatoes have a higher water content, so if using a non-paste variety, scoop the seeds out and discard before chopping.
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (1 teaspoon if using Diamond Crystal kosher salt)
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, smashed, peeled, and minced
- 3 pounds fresh tomatoes, preferably Romas or other paste tomatoes, cored and chopped
- 2 tablespoons chiffonade-cut basil leaves
- 1 pound gnocchi, preferably fresh
- Salt
- Pepper
- 4 boules burrata
- 2 tablespoons torn basil leaves
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Set a large (3-quart) wide-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and onions. Cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes. Add the garlic, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper, and cook 1 - 2 minutes more. Fold in the tomatoes and raise heat to medium-high. When sauce begins to bubble vigorously, turn heat down to achieve a lively simmer (medium - medium-low). Cook, stirring frequently, 20 - 30 minutes, until sauce has reduced by a third and thickened.
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Working in batches or using an immersion blender, puree the sauce. Return to the pot and reheat over medium-low heat. If sauce is on the thin side, edge heat up and simmer another 5 - 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
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aste sauce and add salt, pepper, and olive oil as needed. Just before serving, fold in the basil.
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Meanwhile, bring a big pot of water to a boil. Generously salt the water and add gnocchi. Cook gnocchi just until they float to the top, 1 - 2 minutes. Working quickly, use a slotted spoon to remove gnocchi to a large bowl.
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Toss cooked gnocchi with 1 - 1 1/2 cups sauce. Spoon into shallow bowls and add more sauce as desired. Top with burrata, fresh basil, a pinch each salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve right away.
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Spoon extra sauce into clean jars. Sauce will keep in the fridge for 3 days or up to six months in the freezer. Read instructions above to freeze.
Note: this recipe can easily be doubled. Just add another 20 minutes of cook time for the sauce to thicken.