Ingredients

The following ingredients have 4 Servings
  • 8 oz linguine pasta (or preferred noodle pasta, uncooked (226g))
  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil ((60ml))
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion (sweet, yellow, or white onion, I like sweet (about ½ large onion/110g))
  • 6 large cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
  • 24 oz cherry tomatoes (about 6 cups (680g))
  • ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon table salt (plus additional for cooking pasta and to taste/as needed)
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ heaping teaspoon dried thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
  • 1 oz fresh basil leaves (shredded or cut into ribbons (about 1/3 cup/28g))
  • ⅓ cup freshly grated or shredded parmesan cheese (plus more for topping)

Instruction

  • Cook pasta in well-salted water according to package instructions. Before draining, reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering.
  • Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, then add garlic and cook about 30-60 seconds longer, until fragrant.
  • Add tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, thyme, and red pepper and cook, stirring frequently until tomatoes soften and burst. Once tomatoes are soft enough you can use a wooden spoon or spatula to squish them as you stir.
  • Add basil and stir.
  • Add warm cooked, drained linguine and stir well. Add splashes of pasta water as needed to make a thin sauce, you basically want to ensure the pasta is not dry and the noodles are coated with a thin layer of the sauce. I typically need to add about ¼ cup of the pasta water.
  • Remove from heat, add parmesan and stir well. Taste-test and add additional salt or pepper as needed, then serve warm topped with additional parmesan as desired with a side salad or side of crusty bread.