Rigatoni Lightly Sauced

 Serves 6-8

The pasta was always the star of our dishes. It was never drowned in sauce and always al dente. Make sure to always salt your pasta water, and one trick for al dente pasta is to boil it for about 2 minutes less than the package suggests. 

Ingredients 

•1 16 oz. pkg Rigatoni (or any pasta you like)

•1 onion

•2-3 cloves garlic

•Extra virgin olive oil

•1- 2 quarts tomato passata - strained, puréed tomato sauce

•2-3 leaves Basil

•Salt

•Parmigiano

Directions

Chop your onion and mince, or finely chop your garlic.

Cover the bottom of a sauté pan with olive oil.

Add your onions to the pan and add a dash of salt. Sauté until soft, then add your garlic.

Once your garlic is fragrant, add the tomato passata and two or three leaves of fresh basil to the onion and garlic mixture. Bring it up to a medium-hot simmer to get it hot and bubbly, and then turn your heat to low and simmer until the desired thickness is reached.

Once your sauce has reached the desired thickness, bring a large pot of water to a boil making sure to salt your water. 

Once boiling, add your pasta and cook for about 2 minutes less than the package instructs. The pasta will continue to cook when removed from the water, and this way, you'll end up with perfectly al dente pasta. 

When done, remove the pasta from the water (do not rinse), place it directly into the sauce, and toss to coat. Then, remove the sauced rigatoni and place it in a large family-sized pasta serving bowl. If there is still sauce in your pan, you can keep it warm on the stove for those who would like to add a little more to their dish.

Top with Parmigiano and serve immediately. Enjoy!