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Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

Author:

Vincenzo Prosperi

Updated:

15th Apr, 2025

12 Comments

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Traditional Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce – Made by Nonna!

Spaghetti with tomato sauce is one of the most soul-warming, traditional Italian dishes. It is beloved around the world for its warm, inviting flavors and aromas. But no matter how good you think your recipe is, I promise it’s no match for my Nonna’s! Her generation truly perfected pastaciutta.

Today, we will be cooking a simplistic yet exquisite spaghetti and tomato sauce dish that will blow you away. This recipe is perfect for vegetarians, and by removing cheese, it can even be enjoyed by vegans. Get ready to have your lives changed and start wowing your dinner guests.

Watch the Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce video recipe:

How to make SPAGHETTI with TOMATO SAUCE Like an Italian Nonna

Spaghetti in Tomato Sauce

Vincenzo’s Plate Tips (Straight from Nonna!)

Homemade is Always the Best

My Nonna always makes her own pasta by hand and bottles her own homemade tomato sauce. You can certainly use your favorite brands, but you’re always going to have a better meal when you put in the extra work and prepare your food with love.

Don’t Skimp on Oil

With this recipe, go wild with the extra virgin olive oil! Nonna doesn’t measure out careful portions, and neither should you. Pour your oil generously into the bottom of the pot before simmering your vegetables.

Add Every Drop of the Sauce

It’s inevitable that some of the sauce will stick to the side of your jar, but you want to make use of all of it! Nonna adds a tiny bit of water to the jar so that she can capture the remainder of the sauce and add it to her fried vegetables.

Add Celery

Once your sauce is simmering, toss in a washed stick of fresh celery. Celery is aromatic, and it offers a very subtle change in flavor. Letting it “sweat out” its sweetness into the sauce will make things even better.

Give It Time

One of the big mistakes people make when preparing spaghetti and tomato sauce is not giving their sauce enough time to cook. I know you’re in a hurry to enjoy your meal, but if you want the best, you’ve got to wait. For a family meal, let your sauce simmer and absorb the flavors for at least 30 minutes. For larger meals and gatherings, the time could be up to two hours.

Cook Pasta Gently

When you add your pasta to boiling water, it will only take a 2-3 minutes before the water returns to a boil. It’s crucial to keep an eye on the pot. You want to cover the pasta and reduce the heat before it begins to boil again so that you end up with pasta Al Dente – not mush!

Keep It Simple

Don’t be tempted to go crazy and start adding things to this recipe that aren’t on the list! Simple is always best, and that’s what makes this dish so extraordinary.
Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

How to Serve Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce

As your pasta is cooking, add a small amount of sauce to your plate. Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top. This creates a beautiful base. Next, add your drained pasta to the top of the sauce and cheese before pouring a generous amount of sauce on top. Mix everything well.
Having sauce on the bottom and top will create evenly distributed flavor. Finish things off by drizzling another layer of fresh sauce on top, sprinkling plenty of cheese, and adding a fresh basil leaf. Perfection!

How to Make Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce

Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce Recipe

5 from 1 vote
This simple recipe is so easy that you won’t believe how incredible it really is. A few aromatic vegetables and other quality ingredients take this classic dish to a whole new level.
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 30 minutes mins
Total Time: 35 minutes mins
Servings: 4

Equipment

  • 2 Large pots
  • 1 Chopping-board
  • 1 knife
  • 1 Wooden spatula
  • 1 wooden spoon
  • 1 Ladle
  • 1 Strainer
  • 1 Serving plate

Ingredients

  • Spaghetti, preferably homemade
  • Tomato sauce, preferably homemade
  • 1/4 Whole onion
  • 1/2 Whole carrot
  • 1 Stick celery
  • Fresh basil, as much as you like
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil, as much as required
  • Salt, as much as required
  • Parmesan cheese, as much as you like

Instructions

To Prepare and Cook the Sauce

  • Pour a generous amount of oil into your pot and turn the heat to high.
  • Chop onion and carrot finely and add to the oil. Stir and let it fry for a couple of minutes.
  • Reduce the heat and add your tomato sauce. As it simmers, add a small amount of salt and a stick of celery.
  • Let the tomato sauce come to a boil then let it simmer for at least half an hour. The longer you cook it the better.
  • When the oil has risen to the top, and the sauce has receded, add fresh basil. Cover and remove from heat.
  • Bring water to a boil then add some salt to the water.
  • Add spaghetti and then cook for 2-3 minutes and cover it with a lid before it boils.
  • Continue to let it simmer until it reaches Al Dente texture then strain the water out.

To Serve the Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce

  • Add a small amount of sauce and fresh parmesan cheese to your plate then spoon drained pasta onto the sauce.
  • Add another generous amount of sauce and cheese to the pasta. Mix well.
  • Then finish by adding a fresh layer of sauce and cheese to the plate, as well as a fresh basil leaf.

Video

Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce recipe

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Recipe Rating




12 responses

  1. Cheryl Bennett
    November 14, 2022

    Interesting that there is no garlic in your sauce recipe!!

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      April 28, 2023

      I prefer a lighter flavour, because adding garlic will overpower the dish.

      Reply
  2. Joseph
    January 5, 2023

    No garlic?

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      April 20, 2023

      Garlic is not necessary for this dish as I believe that the strong flavour of garlic can overpower the delicate flavour of tomatoes, and I prefer to let the tomatoes be the star of the dish.

      Reply
  3. Tinesha Ersland
    August 15, 2023

    I know it says you don’t need to measure the oil but how much tomato sauce do you add? There’s no measurement listed. Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      August 23, 2023

      A good rule of thumb is to start with 1 can (14.5 ounces) of tomato sauce for every 1 pound of ground beef. You can always add more tomato sauce later if you need to.

      Reply
  4. Ainu
    November 3, 2024

    5 stars
    This pasta dish is amazing! It is so delicious and i will deffinately make this often 🙂
    Thank you so so much for this post. My husband and my very picky daughter also loved it

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      November 4, 2024

      Ciao Ainu! Grazie mille for your kind words! It makes me so happy to know that you, your husband, and even your picky daughter enjoyed it. I hope it becomes a regular favorite in your home.

      Reply
  5. Danny
    March 9, 2025

    Could you please recommend some tomatoes sauces that are good for this recipe and can be bought in stores?

    Thanks
    D

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      March 9, 2025

      Ciao Danny! For the best flavor, I always recommend making your own tomato sauce. You can check out my homemade tomato passata recipe here:
      https://www.vincenzosplate.com/tomato-passata/

      But if you prefer a store-bought option, I’ve put together a guide on the best brands to look for:
      https://www.vincenzosplate.com/how-to-buy-tomato-sauce/

      Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes!

      Reply
  6. Allan
    June 2, 2025

    It looks so delicious. I didn’t see her add any garlic. Interesting.

    Reply
    1. Vincenzo’s Plate
      June 2, 2025

      Ciao Allan! Great observation! Nonna personally leaves out the garlic in this dish because she feels it can overpower the natural sweetness and delicate flavour of the tomatoes.

      Reply

Ciao, from Vincenzo

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