½teaspoondried oregano or dried thyme or combo of the two
¼teaspoonred pepper flakes
1teaspoongranulated sugar
½cupheavy cream
Sauteed cherry tomatoes
1teaspoonolive oil
2pintscherry tomatoes, halved
2clovesgarlic, minced
½teaspoonsalt
⅛teaspoonground black pepper
Assembly
1poundshort pasta of choice
¼cup Italian parsley or basil, chopped
1ounce(or more) grated Parmesan, to top
Instructions
Pink pasta sauce
Place the celery, carrot, onion, and garlic in your food processor and blitz until finely chopped. Or finely chop these vegetables by hand.
1 stalk celery, 1 carrot, ½ onion, 2 cloves garlic
In a large lidded saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
Add the vegetables and cook them until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the canned tomatoes and any tomato juice in the can to the saucepan. Remove any basil leaves that might have been with the canned tomatoes.
28 ounces canned whole tomatoes
Stir in the salt, pepper, thyme or oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally and mashing the tomatoes to break them up. (This is the point where I start to heat the pot of water for the pasta and cook the cherry tomatoes.)
1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon dried oregano or dried thyme or combo of the two, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
When most of the tomatoes have broken down into small pieces, stir in the sugar. Taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper as desired.
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
Turn the heat down to a low simmer and add the cream.
½ cup heavy cream
Sautéed cherry tomatoes
Add the olive oil to a frying pan large enough to hold the tomatoes and heat over medium heat.
1 teaspoon olive oil
Add the tomatoes, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook until the tomatoes have just started to wilt and release some juice.
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved, 2 cloves garlic, minced, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
Assembly
Cook the pasta until al dente, drain, and then return to the pasta pot.
1 pound short pasta of choice
Add the pink pasta sauce and cook over low heat for one to two minutes, stirring the pasta and sauce together.
Ladle the pasta into bowls and top with the cherry tomatoes. Garnish with the chopped parsley or basil and top with Parmesan. Serve immediately.
¼ cup Italian parsley or basil, chopped, 1 ounce (or more) grated Parmesan, to top
Notes
This recipe will serve 4 as a main course or 8 as a side dish.