Fresh Roma Tomato Pasta Sauce
When you have too many plum tomatoes, make a fresh pasta sauce without having to cook it for hours.
Equipment
- 1 5-quart pot for pasta (optional for sauce)
- 1 paring knife or other small knife (optional)
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 5 Quart pan or 11" chicken fryer
- measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Roma tomatoes (plum tomatoes)
- water for boiling water for pasta (optional for sauce)
- 1 garlic bulb peeled and sliced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp dried Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter or ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Skip to Step 4 if keeping the skin on the tomatoes. Optional: Fill pot with water and heat on high heat. Wash the tomatoes and score the bottoms making an x-shape with a small knife. Add the scored tomatoes to pot once water is boiling and turn down heat to medium high heat.
- Optional: Make an ice bath while tomatoes are in the pot. Boil tomatoes for about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove tomatoes from heat and place in the ice bath. (Optional: save the ice bath water for the pot to boil your pasta noodles.)
- Optional: Peel the skin off the tomatoes. The skin will come off easily.
- Cut the tomatoes into ½ inch x ½ inch pieces. Place in a large bowl and set aside.
- Heat a 5-quart large fryer pan or 11” saucepan on medium heat.
- Once the pan is heated, add olive oil and heat for 30 seconds.
- Add the garlic slices to pan and sauté for 1 minute. Add Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and tomatoes and stir to combine.
- Turn the heat up to high and cook for 10 minutes on high, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken as it boils.
- Turn the heat down to low. Add ¼ cup unsalted butter or olive oil to sauce. (Optional: If serving with shrimp, add 1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp and cook for 2 to 3 minutes in sauce.)
- Add your favorite cooked pasta (1 lb when uncooked/dry) to the sauce to finish cooking in the sauce. If not using shrimp, serve with cooked and sliced Italian sausage links.
Video
Notes
Tips and Tricks
I don’t have Roma tomatoes. Can I still make this recipe?
Yes. Make sure that you remove most of the seeds/liquid from the tomatoes when you cut them before putting them in the pan to cook. Since you’re removing this liquid, you need to start with about 3 pounds of tomatoes.
Can I use fresh herbs instead of dried herbs?
Of course! I usually use dried herbs because they are cheaper than fresh herbs, but it will probably taste great because fresh herbs are amazing. Use about 3 tablespoons of a combination of fresh basil, oregano, and thyme. You can also use rosemary and marjoram mixed in with these.
Can I use a saucepan instead of a fryer pan or pan with a wide base?
You could. However, a saucepan will increase the cooking time by at least 10 minutes because less sauce touches the base of the pan. You will also have to stir it regularly during that time unless you durn the cooking heat down to medium, which will further increase the cooking time. If you have extra time to spare and try it in a saucepan, let me know how it works out for you!