Shellfish Free Sugo di Pomodoro
Few sauces are as deeply satisfying as a slow-simmered tomato sugo, and this one is the real deal. It starts with hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes, which give the sauce that signature sweet, low-acid richness you just can't get from a can of diced. Garlic is coaxed in warm olive oil until pale golden and fragrant, building a flavor base that makes the whole kitchen smell incredible before the tomatoes even hit the pan. A long, unhurried simmer transforms everything into a thick, brick-red sauce with serious depth — the kind that clings to pasta rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl. Fresh basil torn in at the end keeps things bright, and a knob of butter stirred in at the finish adds a subtle silkiness that takes it over the top. Every ingredient here is straightforward and naturally free of shellfish or any seafood concerns, so there's no label-reading required — just good, honest cooking. Spoon it over your favorite pasta, use it as a pizza base, or keep a batch in the fridge all week.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 can (28 oz) whole peeled san marzano tomatoes
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¾ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 6 fresh basil leaves
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Pour the tomatoes and their juices into a large bowl and crush them by hand, squeezing each tomato until broken into rough, uneven pieces. Set aside.
- 2
Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until it shimmers. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is pale golden and fragrant, about 3–4 minutes. Watch closely — the garlic can color quickly.
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