The Perfect Pasta

20 minutes prep 20 minutes active cooking 40 minutes total

Makes 2 - 4 servings

Jump to the recipe

We love pasta.

There’s nothing else that makes a delicious meal so quick and simple. Our friend Sam Smith takes Fellini’s declaration that “life is a combination of magic and pasta” to heart, and he provides the magic with this recipe.

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the shopping list

5 cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
2 De Arbol Chile, crushed
1 bunch of Basil, picked
2 balls Burrata

From our shop

1 pound of Bucatini
$6.00– Puglia - Italy

Out of stock

1/4 cup + extra to finish Madre Terra
$29.00– Sicily - Italy

2 cups of Crushed Tomatoes
$7.00– Yolo Valley - California

Out of stock

2 tablespoons, grated of Parmigiano Reggiano
$9.00– Reggio-Emilia - Italy

1 teaspoon of Italian Fine Sea Salt
$7.00– Trapani - Sicily

Equipment

From the kitchen

1 Chef's Knife
1 Cutting Board
1 Pasta Pot
1 Heavy Skillet

"life is a combination of magic and pasta"

~ Jim Dixon, founder Wellspent and Real Good Food

What you'll have to do

Step 1

Pull the burrata out of the fridge to come to room temp while you prep the dish.

Step 2

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While waiting for it to come to a boil, prep the other ingredients.

Step 3

Put 1/4 cup olive oil, sliced garlic, and arbol chili in a large pan big enough to hold all the pasta once it’s cooked. Put on high heat. Once it begins to sizzle, turn it down to medium heat and cook for about 30 seconds more. Stir often, you do not want the garlic to brown at all. Once the garlic and chili have bloomed in the olive oil, add the canned tomato. Continue cooking on medium heat until the tomato is cooked down, thick, and rusty colored.

Step 4

Meanwhile, boil the pasta according to the package instructions. When the pasta is cooked, drain, reserving a 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta and reserved water to the pan with the tomato sauce. Cook on high heat for about 1 minute to coat the pasta with the sauce. Turn off the heat and add the parm, a drizzle of olive oil, and the picked basil, reserving a few leaves to garnish.

Step 5

Add the pasta and reserved water to the pan with the tomato sauce. Cook on high heat for about 1 minute to coat the pasta with the sauce. Turn off the heat and add the parm, a drizzle of olive oil, and the picked basil, reserving a few leaves to garnish.

Step 6

Plate in 4 bowls or one large bowl. Cut each burrata in half, place on top of the pasta. Drizzle generously with olive oil, and scatter the reserved basil leaves over the top.