Lactose Free Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce
A great marinara is one of those recipes that proves simple ingredients can absolutely steal the show. Garlic slowly coaxed in olive oil until pale golden, hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and a handful of torn fresh basil — that's really all it takes to build a sauce with serious depth. The whole thing simmers down until thick and glossy, then gets tossed with al dente spaghetti so every strand is properly coated rather than just swimming in sauce. Because the base is built entirely on olive oil rather than butter or cream, this dish is naturally free of dairy in any meaningful sense — the Parmesan on top is listed as optional, so you can skip it entirely without losing anything essential. That finishing drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil right before serving adds a richness that more than makes up for skipping the cheese. It's the kind of weeknight pasta that tastes like you spent far more effort than you actually did, and it reheats beautifully the next day when the flavors have had time to settle in even further.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the pasta
- 12 oz spaghetti
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
For the sauce
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled san marzano tomatoes
- ½ tsp sugar
- salt and pepper, to taste
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn
For serving
- 1–2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, for finishing
- parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the kosher salt, then the spaghetti, and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente — tender with a slight resistance at the center, about 1–2 minutes less than the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water before draining. Drain the spaghetti through a colander and set aside.
- 2
While the pasta water heats, pour the canned tomatoes into a large bowl and crush them by hand, breaking them into rough, uneven pieces. Set aside.
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