Sauce-Simmered Spaghetti Al Pomodoro

I really enjoyed tonight's dinner.  Was it an OMG?  Not particularly, but it was really great.  Why I loved it, was it was as fast and easy as making pasta and jarred sauce, and probably cost the same (or less if you like the higher end jarred sauce)  The family ate the 1/2 box of pasta with a salad and it was plenty.  It doesn't beat my all time favorite spaghetti recipe, but it was a million times easier!  The only advice I have for you is that was a lot of water you add, you might need to cook it a bit longer than the recipe calls for to prevent watery sauce. (I hate watery sauce!)  This recipe proves, that you don't need to spend a lot of time to make a meal from scratch.  Ok mostly from scratch.  I didn't make the pasta and jarred tomatoes have their own issues, but I haven't found any in glass yet so the occasional canned tomato will have to be used.


Sauce-Simmered Spaghetti Al Pomodoro
 
1/4 Cup extra-virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
2 garlic cloves thinly sliced
Pinch of crushed red pepper
One 28-ounce can peeled San Marzano tomatoes, pureed until smooth
Salt
1/2 Lb spaghetti
1 basil sprig plus torn leaves, for garnish
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for serving
1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the 1/4 cup of olive oil. Add the
sliced garlic and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat,
stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Add the tomato
puree, season with salt and simmer the tomato sauce until thickened, 15
minutes. ~
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the
spaghetti and cook until pliable but still hard in the center, about 5
minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the water. ~
3. Add the spaghetti, cooking water and basil sprig to the tomato sauce
and cook over moderately low heat, stirring gently, until the pasta is
al dente and the sauce is thickened and clings to the strands, 8 minutes
longer. Discard the basil sprig. Transfer the spaghetti to bowls.
Drizzle with olive oil and garnish with basil leaves. Serve with grated
cheese. ~