This simple sauce starts with whole cherry tomatoes, garlic and olive oil. A little hot water helps steam and soften the tomatoes before they are smashed and reduced into a fresh sauce that clings beautifully to casarecce.
Useful Tools
Start the cherry tomatoes whole rather than cutting them in half.
Rinse the cherry tomatoes and leave them whole. While cherry tomatoes are often cut in half before cooking, starting them whole allows them to soften and blister while retaining their juices.
Get the pasta water heating while the sauce gets started.
Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat a large saucepan or sauté pan over medium heat.
Cook the garlic gently so it flavors the oil without browning.
Add the olive oil and thinly sliced garlic to the saucepan. Sauté gently until the garlic becomes translucent and fragrant. Do not allow the garlic to brown.
The hot water will help steam and soften the whole tomatoes.
Add the whole cherry tomatoes and a good pinch of salt. Sauté briefly, then add 2 ladles of hot water from the pasta pot. At this stage the pasta is not cooking yet, so this is simply hot water rather than starchy pasta water.
Steam the tomatoes until blistered and very soft.
Cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. The added hot water creates steam inside the covered pan, helping the whole tomatoes soften and blister without drying out. When the lid is removed, the tomatoes should be blistered and very soft.
Break down the softened tomatoes and reduce the liquid into a sauce.
Remove the lid and use a spatula to smash the softened tomatoes so none remain whole. Continue cooking uncovered, smashing any larger pieces and allowing the liquid to reduce until a loose tomato sauce develops.
Cook the pasta once the tomato sauce has developed.
Add the casarecce to the boiling salted water and cook until al dente. Before draining, reserve some of the now-starchy pasta cooking water.
Let the casarecce absorb the fresh tomato sauce.
Drain the casarecce and add it directly to the tomato sauce. Toss thoroughly over the heat and allow the pasta to absorb some of the sauce. Add a splash of the reserved starchy pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce and help it coat the casarecce.
Add the basil at the end so it stays fresh and aromatic.
Add the chopped fresh basil and toss again until evenly distributed throughout the pasta.
Serve immediately while the pasta and sauce are hot.
Plate the casarecce and finish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Good to Know
The 2 ladles added to the tomatoes early in the recipe are simply hot water from the pasta pot because the pasta has not started cooking yet. This water helps create steam under the lid. Later, after the pasta has cooked, reserved starchy pasta water can be used to adjust the finished sauce.
Storage Tips
Store leftover pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheat gently in a saucepan with a small splash of water to loosen the tomato sauce.
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