• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • Press
    • Privacy Policy
    • Photo Use Policy
    • Media
    • Podcast
    • Videos
  • Pro Tips
    • Resources
    • Blogging
      • How to Start a Blog
    • My Presets
  • Recipes
    • Recipes by Season
      • Christmas Recipes
      • Fall
      • Easter
      • Summer
    • Meals
      • Breakfast
      • Side dish
      • Appetizers
      • Dinner
      • Dessert
    • Special Diets
      • Dairy Free
      • Gluten Free
      • Healthy recipes
      • Keto
      • Paleo
      • Sugar free
      • Mediterranean Diet
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Whole30
    • Ingredients
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Seafood
    • Popular
      • American Recipes
      • Baking
      • Bread
      • Cookies
      • Sourdough
      • Slow cooker
      • Soup
    • Recipe Stories
  • Italy
    • Italian Baking
    • Italian Recipes
    • Italian Travel
    • Italian Language
  • Pasta Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
    • Freebies
      • Lightroom Filter Freebie
      • Packing List Freebie
      • Content Scheduler Freebie

Savoring Italy logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Italy
  • Resources
  • About
  • Shop
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Italy
    • Resources
    • About
    • Shop
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Popular » Italian Recipes

    September 5, 2010 Dairy Free

    Spaghetti al Pomodoro e Basilico

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    Spaghetti al Pomodoro e Basilico-A delicious recipe for spaghetti made with summer's sweet plum tomatoes, onions, and fresh basil. Ready in under 30 minutes! Make it all summer long with your summer's tomato bounty!

    This is my go-to pasta dish. We eat an exorbitant amount of pasta here. In our house, there is no fear of carbs and we do not have gluten issues. We don't run from carbs, we embrace them.

    To us, a meal without carbs is well, not a meal. Last summer my mother-in-law and grandmother-in-law were here for a month. They cooked for us every night. They planted a garden.

    Nonna Antonia woke up one morning at 7 a.m. and declared, "Vado fuori a zappare." Translation: I am going outside to hoe. Out she went in her black skirt (she is in mourning)and purple polyester shirt and asked for a shovel. She was 82 at the time.

    I was standing there barely awake trying to ingest my caffe' latte as fast as possible to better comprehend what she was asking. I thought she was kidding. She was serious.

    Nonna proceeded to go out front and she started to prep the land. That meant, tear apart 1/2 of one section of our front yard . Neighbors were whispering to each other. I quickly finished chugging my caffe' latte and grabbed my camera.

    image of person doing yard work

    I was beginning to wonder if I should stop photographing the event and start digging with her. I offered my assistance and she told me in uncertain terms to back off. Seriously, she didn't need my help.

    Nonna Antonia grows every thing and makes every thing from scratch. She has the most amazing olive trees in Calabria. Tears are trickling down my cheeks just thinking of her olives and olive oil. Her husband, Nonno Giuseppe, passed away two years ago.

    My father-in-law and mother-in-law go to Calabria every year to help take care of the olives. Luckily, we get care packages a few times a year with olives in freeze-dried packages.

    Buying tomatoes with an Italian Nonna

    One of the important things they taught me that month was how to can tomatoes. We went to my little vegetable market (it's Latino, of course), and bought about 20 lbs of plum tomatoes.

    My mother-in-law was glancing furtively at the Latina girls while fondling the tomatoes and mumbling in Calabrese to me, "These tomatoes are awful. They have no color. They aren't like our tomatoes."

    For obvious reasons, I was feeling uncomfortable. I knew the girls couldn't understand her, but it was the way she was handling the tomatoes. They knew their tomatoes weren't good enough for this foreigner speaking in a funny language.

    I offered her to go to another market, but she didn't want to waste time. We had canning to do. We canned tomatoes for one whole afternoon. Even though the tomatoes were of questionable quality, those canned tomatoes we made rocked!

    My canned tomatoes from last May are long gone. Every once and a while I think of making them again. It just won't be the same without the nonnas. I still frequent my Latino market and stock up on tomatoes once a week.

    Last night I made a quick Spaghetti al Pomodoro e Basilico. It is easier to make than you might think. If there is one Italian dish you could learn to make, this should be it.

    What ingredients are needed to make this fresh tomato sauce?

    • spaghetti
    • fresh plum tomatoes
    • extra-virgin olive oil
    • onion
    • salt
    • fresh basil

    Some other pasta recipes:

    • Caramelized Shallot Pasta
    • Vegan Cheese Sauce Pasta
    • Pumpkin and Turkey Pasta
    • Vegan Mushroom Coconut Pasta
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    No ratings yet

    Spaghetti al Pomodoro e Basilico

    Spaghetti al Pomodoro e Basilico-A delicious recipe for spaghetti made with summer's sweet plum tomatoes, onions, and fresh basil. Ready in under 30 minutes! Make it all summer long with your summer's tomato bounty!
    Course: Dinner, Lunch
    Cuisine: Italian
    Keyword: cherry tomatoes, pasta
    Author: Lora

    Ingredients

    • 1 lb spaghetti I use Barilla or De Cecco
    • 10 to 12 fresh plum tomatoes approximately 2 to 2 1/2 pounds
    • 4 ounces extra-virgin olive oil plus additional extra-virgin olive oil, optional
    • ½ medium onion finely chopped
    • salt
    • freshly chopped basil leaves

    Instructions

    • Bring pot of water to a boil. After the water has come to a boil, add salt to the water (about a teaspoon of salt per quart of water). Add spaghetti and cook until al dente. There is nothing worse than mushy pasta. While pasta is boiling, cook your sauce.
    • Heat olive oil on medium heat in a saucepan. Saute' chopped onion until translucent (about 3 minutes).
    • Add chopped plum tomatoes and cook approximately 5 minutes. Add salt to taste. Add chopped basil and stir to combine. If sauce seems to thick, add a little bit of water. and extra virgin olive oil if desired.
    • Drain the pasta and add to the fresh tomato sauce. Combine the pasta with the sauce for a minute. You could save some of the pasta water and add to the tomato sauce if it is a little dry.
    • Serve: Add a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Sprinkle on some parmesan (we use Parmegiano Reggiano D.O.P.

    Nutrition Disclaimer

    Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @savoringitaly or tag #savoringitaly!
    « Catholic Guilt and Lemon Rosemary Olive Oil Cake
    Torta di Fichi Freschi - Spiced Fig Cake and My Nonno »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. My Little Space says

      September 05, 2010 at 7:41 am

      My family ate lots of tomatoes especially my kids. We used them mostly in spaghetti and sweet & sour dish! Love it so much. Your spaghetti looks fantastic. Hope you're enjoying your weekend.
      Cheers, kristy

      Reply
    2. Savoring Italy says

      September 05, 2010 at 12:42 pm

      Thank you Kristy:)

      Reply
    3. Kath says

      September 05, 2010 at 1:50 pm

      What a beautiful post about your Nonna! And a beautiful photo of your spaghetti al pomodoro. We love simple pasta dishes. When the fresh tomatoes are bad, I like to slow roast good quality canned tomatoes in olive oil to use with pasta.

      Reply
    4. Savoring Italy says

      September 07, 2010 at 1:15 am

      Hi Kath-Thank you for your compliments. :)I like your idea about roasting the canned tomatoes.

      Reply
    5. Anna says

      September 07, 2010 at 4:58 am

      Awwww, the italian grandmothers, I sure miss mine. She was also fearless, and cooked like an angel. All the time I see a truly italian cooking I feel like packing my luggages and moving, to be surrounded by the olive trees and the beautiful veggies. And I'm definitely not afraid of carbs, as a matter of fact carbs are my natural prozac. LOL, Beautiful pasta.

      Reply
    6. Megan says

      October 19, 2010 at 9:59 pm

      Love the story! You've given me an idea for the last of this year's tomato crop. YUM!

      Reply
    7. Erika K says

      July 14, 2011 at 3:53 pm

      Oh...this is making me want to go out and hug my tomato plants! 🙂

      Too bad the tomatoes themselves are still all green right now. Won't be long and I can use them for this recipe. In the meantime, I'll have to do with my regular grocery store tomatoes. However, we have quite a bit of good looking basil out there right now.

      We do cook gluten free in my house, and I'm a carboholic, but we have some pretty good pasta. I can indulge pretty well with a recipe like this! Love the story and picture. I'll need to get my butt out to the garden, today. 🙂

      Erika K

      Cuisinart 14 cup food processor

      Reply
    8. Julia says

      August 10, 2012 at 12:35 pm

      Do you peel your tomatoes before making this dish? This is one I grew up with and, since I have fresh tomatoes right now, I might just make this tonight! 🙂

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    lora and gabby

    Welcome to our Italian kitchen! We are Lora and Gabriella, the mother-daughter team behind Savoring Italy. With more than 30+ years of experience in the kitchen, Lora has had a great advantage – receiving guidance from both her husband who is an executive chef/restaurant owner and her mother who is a renowned private chef. 

    More about me →

    Popular

    • dandelion greens on a white dish.
      Sautéed Dandelion Greens with Garlic Recipe
    • overhead image of easy pumpkin pudding cake
      Easy Pumpkin Pudding Cake Recipe
    • Hearty Italian Garlic Bread Recipe (with Baguette)
    • overhead image of vegan pumpkin pasta with sage in white bowls
      Easy Creamy Pumpkin Pasta Sauce Recipe

    Pasta

    • pasta rapini closeup image
      Easy Pasta with Rapini Recipe
    • pasta alla gricia closeup
      Easy Pasta alla Gricia Recipe
    • penna arrabiata overhead shot
      Easy Penne all' Arrabbiata (Spicy Tomato Sauce Recipe)
    • spaghetti algio e olio
      Easy Garlic and Oil Pasta (Spaghetti Aglio e Olio)

    Lake Como Travel Guide

    lake como

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Photo Use Policy
    • Podcast
    • Press
    • Videos

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Savoring Italy