Pappardelle with a Simple Tomato Sauce

This is it. This is the dinner that’s going to send you straight into orbit. We can even hold hands if you wa- no? Okay.

I posted a photo of this recipe in Stories a while back, and a whole slew of you with foaming, unhinged jaws and psycho eyes came at me immediately. Simmer down, here’s the recipe.

It’s mortifyingly simple, with so much pungent perfect flavor, you will get so upset.

Let us peepeth.

We’re honestly just building flavor in our tomato sauce. I added a little depth with the paste, shallots and garlic, But honestly, a can of San Marzano tomatoes is brilliant on its own. But I’ll show you what I did! Which is the whole point of this blog post.

Never mind.

Garlic and shallots! Never a bad start to any decision ever. Get it sliced, minced and sautéed.

Now let’s add a little bit of depth. A couple Tbs. tomato paste, right in the middle of the pan. Just take your wooden spoon and perfectly press the pretty paste into the pan until you heart pitter patters.

Next we’ll add a splash of wine. This is completely optional. You can use some chicken stock in its place, too. I just wanted it to bubble up and smell ridiculous so that I could feel good about my life.

Spoiler alert: it worked.

Next, the tomatoes! I’m using San Marzano, which truly have the bestest, brightest flavor. You can do this a few ways. The tomatoes are whole peeled, so I just took some scissors and hacked away at them in the can. Or just smash them in the pan with a potato smasher masher. OR you could whizz them in a food processor for a hot second. Anything works. It all works.

Bubble the sauce for a few minutes with a pinch of salt, then violently add your cooked pappardelle pasta. Save a little bit of pasta water (liquid gold!) and ladle in half a cup or so to the sauce.

And this is what happens.

Hey-ohhhhhhhh.

MY MY. It’s nothing but glorious. Plenty of grated Parmigiano Reggiano (pulling out all the stops here), chopped parsley and a drizzle of your very best extra-virgin olive oil. UGHHHHH.

You can’t. Except you will.

First of all, it has weeknight dinner written all over it. Stupid simple to pull together, but tastes like a gondola and a striped shirt are within a stone’s throw.

And it’s vegetarian! Which I’m sure you noticed, but I’m telling you anyway. It’s vegetarian!

You should have these ingredients on hand for those nights when you just have zero idea what to make for dinner. Because it’s so satisfying and so delicious and superbly easy and I’m going to scream if you don’t make it soon.

Don’t make me come after you.

Because I will. You know I will.

Pappardelle with a Simple Tomato Sauce

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Ingredients

• 1 pound pappardelle pasta
• 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle at the end
• 1 shallot, thinly sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbs. tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 28 oz whole peeled tomatoes
• Coarse salt
• Freshly grated parmesan
• Chopped parsley, for garnish

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pappardelle and cook until al dente, according to package directions.
2. In the meantime, add the 2 Tbs. oil to a large skillet and bring to a medium-high heat. Add the shallots and sauté for about three minutes, until they start to take on a little color. Add the garlic and sauté another minute, until wildly fragrant. Add the tomato paste and using a wooden spoon, press the paste into the pan, releasing the oils. Add a pinch of salt about now. Add the wine to the pan and let it bubble up for a few seconds. Now add the tomatoes to the skillet. You can snip the tomatoes in the can so that they’re chopped, or mash them in the skillet with a potato masher. Add another pinch of salt and let this simmer about five minutes.
3. Add the pasta to the tomato sauce and toss to fully coat. Ladle in about half a cup of pasta water, just to add to the sauce and thin it ever so slightly. Perfect.
4. Garnish with plenty of good Parmesan cheese, chopped parsley and a drizzle of your best extra-virgin olive oil. Don’t skip that part! It’s worth it.
5. Serve immediately!
6. Serves 4.

7.8.1.2

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https://bevcooks.com/2022/03/pappardelle-with-a-simple-tomato-sauce/

Tonight! ^^^ TONIGHT.