Garlic butter tomato spaghetti. A 15 minute dinner that uses a can of good tomatoes and lots of garlic. Pair it with butter, a few pantry staples and let it bubble. So simple, yet absolutely delicious and packed with flavor. Get ready to fall in love with pasta more than you already were.
If you, like me, always have a can of crushed tomatoes in your pantry and a stick of salted butter in your fridge, then I give you this rich, tastes-like-simmered-down-for-hours to its most flavorful essence, tomato sauce. This rustic garlic butter tomato sauce is everything I love about cooking… simple ingredients and 15 minutes of your time can yield surprisingly delicious results. Pair it with pasta for one of the best 15-minute crowd-pleasing meals.
It’s super simple to make this tomato sauce. Sweat garlic and onion until soft and fragrant in a little bit of olive oil and a good dose of unsalted butter. Stir in Italian seasoning, a pinch of salt, sugar and tomato paste. Let it caramelize for a minute and deglaze with white wine. Then add a can of tomatoes and let everything simmer until the spaghetti is al dente. Finally add more butter, Parmesan and fresh basil. Toss in spaghetti at the end for a bright, garlicky tomato pasta with a rich roundness from the butter.
It’s extraordinarily simple, minimalistic and very satisfying, and its easiness cannot be beaten. This sauce is also perfect as a topping for ravioli or a filling for lasagna. The only thing that’s left to do is serve it with some extra parmesan and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.
RECIPE NOTES
- this sauce is every bit as delicious with ravioli, linguine or rigatoni
- the sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead, and kept covered in the refrigerator. Just reheat before tossing with pasta
- you can easily freeze it in an air tight container for up to 3 months
- optional add-ins: capers, toasted panko breadcrumbs, canned tuna in olive oil, anchovies
- serve with a big side salad drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette
Try These Next
- 20 minute Tuna Tomato Rigatoni
- Smoky Bacon Tomato Pasta
- Eggplant and sun dried tomato pasta with ricotta
Garlic Butter Tomato Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 14 ounces spaghetti
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp butter divided
- 10 garlic cloves minced
- 1 small brown onion finely chopped
- 5 tbsp tomato paste
- ¼ cup white wine or pasta water
- 1 can (28 ounces/800 g) good quality crushed tomatoes
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1.5 ounces grated Parmesan more for serving
- 2 tbsp freshly chopped basil
- red pepper flakes for serving
Instructions
- Bring a large pot with generously salted water to a boil, add spaghetti and cook until al dente.
- While the water is boiling, finely chop the onion, mince the garlic and chop the basil.
- Heat a large skillet over medium low, add oil and 2 tablespoons of butter. When butter is melted, add garlic and onion. Cook until soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in salt, sugar, black pepper, Italian seasoning and tomato paste. Caramelize over medium, for 2 minutes. Deglaze with white wine, stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer over low for 5 minutes or until the spaghetti is cooked and drained.
- Add the remaining butter, parmesan and chopped basil, stir to combine. Toss with spaghetti. Serve with extra parmesan and red pepper flakes. Enjoy!
Video
Nutrition
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very good
Thank you Kim!
easy, delicious, 5 stars
So glad you enjoyed it, Jenny!