Makes 2 cups, enough for 1 pound of pasta
To keep the garlic from burning, start the olive oil and garlic in a cold pan. Add a pinch of sugar to the cooked sauce if your tomatoes aren't as sweet as you'd like. If the sauce seems too thick, toss the sauce and pasta with a little reserved pasta cooking water to help spread the sauce evenly.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds ripe beefsteak tomatoes (about 4 large), cored, peeled, and cut into 3/4-inch chunks
- Table salt
- 1/4cup chopped fresh basil
- Ground black pepper
Directions
- Stir oil and garlic together in large skillet. Turn heat to medium and cook until garlic is sizzling and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring to rapid simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, reducing heat if sauce begins to stick to bottom of pan, until thickened and chunky, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste.
TOMATO SAUCE FOR THE FREEZER: For a taste of summer in the dead of winter, make a double batch of sauce and freeze half (or all) of it. Double the ingredients, increasing the cooking time to about 30 minutes. Cool the sauce completely. Transfer to a 2-cup freezersafe container. Press a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the sauce, cover, and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the microwave or in the refrigerator overnight.