Roasted with butter, anchovies and a lot of garlic, canned tomatoes transform into an incredibly tasty, easy-to-make, all-purpose tomato sauce. // alexandracooks.com

There is a restaurant nearby that serves a chickpea tagine made with a “tomato jam”, a mixture of tomatoes and sun-dried tomatoes cooked with garlic, parsley and ras-el-hanout, a sauce that binds all of the elements together and gives the tagine both a sweetness and bite.

Thinking about making tomato jam reminded me of this butter-roasted tomato sauce, a sauce I first tried last November but have made several times since. While nothing, of course, compares to fresh tomato sauce, for the effort, this sauce is incredibly tasty thanks to:

  • butter
  • anchovies
  • a lot of garlic
  • and an interesting method: roasting the sauce (as opposed to simmering), which concentrates the flavor of the canned plum tomatoes.

I find I always have to add a pinch of sugar at the end to balance the acidity, but otherwise, this is a great, easy-to-make, all-purpose tomato sauce. Here I’ve made it with bucatini as the original recipe suggests but I’ve also spread it over pizza.

And I haven’t yet tried this, but Bon Appetit suggests puréeing the sauce with stock and a splash of cream for a simple tomato soup. Sounds promising.

tomatoes
cruhed tomatoes
ingredients
Roasted with butter, anchovies and a lot of garlic, canned tomatoes transform into an incredibly tasty, easy-to-make, all-purpose tomato sauce. // alexandracooks.com
roasted sauce
sauce
bucatini
bucatini
Roasted with butter, anchovies and a lot of garlic, canned tomatoes transform into an incredibly tasty, easy-to-make, all-purpose tomato sauce. // alexandracooks.com
Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
A plate of bucatini tossed with butter-roasted tomato sauce.

Bucatini with Butter-Roasted Tomato Sauce

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 3 reviews

Print Recipe
Save Recipe

Description

Source: Bon Appetit

Ingredients

  • 1 28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 8 garlic cloves, peeled, crushed
  • 2 anchovy fillets packed in oil
  • ¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes plus more for serving
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • pinch sugar (optional)
  • 12 oz. bucatini or spaghetti
  • Finely grated Parmesan (for serving)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine tomatoes (crushing them with your hands), garlic, anchovies, butter, and red pepper flakes to taste (note: 1/2 teaspoon makes for a very spicy sauce) in a 13×9” baking dish; season with salt and black pepper.
  2. Roast, tossing halfway through, until garlic is very soft and the mixture is jammy, 35–40 minutes. Using a potato masher or fork, mash to break up garlic and tomatoes, or, if you live with little people, purée the mixture in a food processor. Taste. Adjust seasoning with a pinch of sugar (1/4 teaspoon or more) if necessary.
  3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain, reserving ½ cup pasta cooking liquid.
  4. Return pasta to pot and add tomato sauce and pasta cooking liquid (or simply place cooked pasta in a large serving bowl and toss with sauce and a splash of cooking liquid if necessary.) Cook over medium-high heat, tossing until sauce coats pasta, about 3 minutes. Serve topped with Parmesan and more red pepper flakes.
  5. Note: Tomato sauce can be made 4 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat before mixing with pasta.
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Pasta
  • Method: Oven, Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American, Italian