Credits to @max.baroni
Ingredients
- 1 lb spaghetti, linguine or rigatoni
- 5 Tbsp butter
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 4-5 cups sungold tomatoes
- 1 tsp sugar (optional, to taste)
- Kosher salt, to taste
- 1 cup basil, packed
- Olive oil
- Optional: soft cheese for topping (goat cheese, stracciatella, burrata, or parmesan)
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
- While the water heats, melt the butter in a saucier (or a large saucepan) over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and sauté until soft but not colored. Stir in the chili flake and toast for about 30 seconds.
- Add the sungold tomatoes, cooking over medium heat until they begin to soften, about 5-10 minutes. As they soften, they will start to burst open. Use the back of a spoon to slightly crush them and release more of the juices.
- About halfway through, drop your pasta into the boiling water so it finishes cooking in sync with the sauce. Drizzle in a bit of olive oil to the simmering tomatoes, and season with a few pinches of salt. Cook until the sauce has mostly emulsified but still has plump pieces of tomato. Taste and add sugar, salt, and olive oil to taste.
- Once the pasta is ready, transfer it directly into the sauce along with a good ladle of pasta water and the basil (torn if you like it more evenly distributed). Cook together for a minute or two over medium heat until the sauce thickens slightly and clings to the pasta.
- Serve a generous pile of paste on a plate or in a bowl, topping with a dollop of soft cheese and a few cracks of black pepper.
Natalie’s Notes
Made August 3, 2026. A perfectly sweet, balanced, and bright homemade pasta sauce! I don’t think you could substitute any other tomato for sungolds because of their sweetness. A few things contributed to this sauce getting a bit too thick and cooked down for my liking: (1) I didn’t use enough sungold tomatoes, (2) I crushed them before adding to the pan, which was unnecessary since they burst on their own over heat and sped up the cooking time, (3) I cooked over too high of heat, and (4) I started cooking the pasta too late. The flavor was outstanding, but next time I’ll follow Max’s directions more closely to get a smoother sauce that coats the pasta.
