Name: Fresh Tomato Amatriciana Sauce
Total time: 35 min
Ingredients: 4 ounces pancetta , chopped fine; 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil; 2 garlic cloves , minced; 2 pounds plum tomatoes , cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces; 3/4 teaspoon table salt; 1/2 teaspoon black pepper; 1/2 teaspoon sugar; 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Why This Recipe Works

The best tomato sauce recipes are simple, consisting of nothing more than garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, herbs, salt, a bit of sugar, and pepper. With that philosophy in mind, we set out to develop a fresh tomato sauce recipe that capitalized on this list of ingredients. We found that cooking the garlic in oil for just a minute or two prevented it from burning. The tomatoes, which we cooked for just 10 minutes, broke down readily and thickened slightly, just enough to ably coat the pasta. We cooked the tomatoes in rendered pancetta fat to infuse salty, meaty flavor into the sauce.

Before You Begin

Be sure to choose the ripest tomatoes you can find. While this sauce is best when eaten right away, it can be frozen for up to one month. If you plan to freeze it, hold off on adding the basil until right before serving. If you’re using exceptionally sweet in-season tomatoes, omit the sugar.

Instructions

Heat pancetta and oil in large saucepan over medium heat until pancetta is rendered and crispy, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, 3/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and sugar. Increase heat to medium-high and cook until tomatoes are broken down and sauce is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.