Healthy Edition: Light and Simple Tomato Sauce

I realized that I almost always cook healthy food at home — I'm an avid lover of organic grocery stores, the produce sections of supermarkets, and I'm constantly experimenting with new light recipes from various sources. When I bake it's a stress-reliever — "me time" — but I generally won't eat more than one piece and give the rest to a neighbor, friend, event, etc. It's a rare occasion that I eat pasta, bread or butter, but I still love the food I cook. Because of this, I figured I should share some of my successes with you over the course of my blog.

The other day, because of Hurricane Sandy, we had few choices we could choose from at home. I was well-prepared with canned food, but I didn't want to use it unless the power went out. I had guests, so I decided to make pasta, but I wanted a light version... no thick,creamy sauces, but something rich in flavor. I opted for my own adaptation of a recipe from Cook's Illustrated (who I love, by the way, since they have their own test kitchen and actually do dozens of tests to perfect the recipe). I use them for crowd-pleasers as they don't specialize in "light" cooking, but their recipes are to die for on those special occasions.

This recipe is a keeper for me as it's full of flavor and extremely simple to make — and one of the lightest pasta recipes you can find.

 

 

Light and Simple Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

1 can whole tomatoes, quartered (28 oz, not packed in anything)

3 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons light virgin olive oil (can be substituted with extra-virgin oo)

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves (about 8 leaves)

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 pound pasta (substitute whole wheat for a healthier version)

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Recipe

Heat 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in a pan over medium heat 1-2 minutes (until fragrant but not brown). Add tomatoes and simmer until thickened slightly, about 10 minutes. Stir in basil, sugar, and salt.

Meanwhile, cook pasta and reserve 1/4 cup cooking water. Transfer pasta back to pot and mix in reserved cooking water and sauce. Cook over medium heat for 1 minute more. Sprinkle approximately 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes for a slightly spicier version.