One of my go-to pasta dishes that I learned to make while in Italy is a homemade cherry tomato marinara sauce. Whether made with hand-picked cherry tomatoes from our garden, or from the lovely San Marzano cherry tomatoes available at the market, with one bite you know that this sauce is homemade.
A puree of cooked carrots, celery, onions, garlic and tomatoes all flavored with wine and fresh basil, the inherent richness comes from the sauce cooking over low heat for about half and hour and the combination of olive oil and butter that you cook the veggies in from the start. I like to serve my homemade sauce with fresh mozzarella cheese, a sprinkling of more fresh basil, and some halved, fresh cherry tomatoes as well. You can keep this a vegetarian dish, or if you like, add in some cooked pancetta cubes or even sauteed shrimp.
(To view this recipe, click on the blue title of the blog post above*)
Casarecce with Cherry Tomato Sauce, Pancetta & Fresh Mozzarella
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. casarecce pasta (any pasta will do!)
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil and 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- salt and pepper
- garlic powder
- 6 cups cherry tomatoes, 1 cup reserved and halved
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped–1/4 cup reserved for garnish
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup dry white or red wine
- 4 oz. cooked pancetta cubes (optional)
- Fresh mozzarella cheese
Directions:
- Cook the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- To make the sauce, heat the oil, butter and crushed red pepper flakes over medium-low heat until the butter is melted. Add in the cut celery, carrots, onion and garlic; season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a big grinding of black pepper. Saute over medium heat for 10-12 minutes; add in 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder, the cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup of chopped basil, 1/4 teaspoon more salt, and the sugar. Cook for another 5 minutes; add in the wine, reduce the heat to low and cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes have wilted and the mixture is very tender.
- Puree the tomato mixture in a food processor until thick and smooth. Stir in the halved cherry tomatoes and the pancetta, if using. Serve over the cooked noodles, along with the mozzarella cheese and a sprinkling of the remaining basil.
Tagged: carrots, casarecce, celery, cherry tomato sauce, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil, fresh mozzarella, garlic, homemade marinara sauce, homemade tomato sauce, Italian, Italy, onion, pancetta, pasta, San Marzano tomatoes, tomato sauce, white wine
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