Oven Baked Tomato Butter Sauce with Pasta
The iconic Marcella Hazan tomato sauce recipe is sublime in its simplicity— with only three ingredients— canned San Marzano tomatoes, onion and butter, simmered on the stovetop until a luxurious sauce is created. Me, being my impatient self, have decided to make it even simpler— I’ve thrown it all in the oven using cherry tomatoes and European style butter (I used Plugra which is pretty widely available in most supermarkets) which has a higher butterfat content. More fat? More flavor. The oven does wonders— it adds some char and caramelization, while the fresh cherry tomatoes add acid— and, of course, the European-style butter which adds even more luxuriousness. Also— no stirring— the oven does all the work— and about thirty minutes from start to finish. I’ve used bucatini, but in truth any shape of pasta will work here.
Serves 4
INGREDIENTS
1 lb. pasta
3 pints cherry tomatoes
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted European style butter
1 medium onion, cut in half
1 tbsp olive oil
½ cup flat leaf parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
1 cup grated pecorino cheese, plus more for serving
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
METHOD
Preheat oven to 425F. In a medium baking or casserole dish, add onion halves face down along with tomatoes. Season with 1 tsp kosher salt and ½ tsp black pepper and mix to combine. Nestle butter in the center of the pan. Drizzle with olive oil, then roast for 30 until tomatoes are blistered and split. Remove onion halves and set sauce aside.
Meanwhile, cook pasta in well-salted water according to package instructions until al dente, reserving ½ cup of pasta water. Drain pasta, then return to pot. Add tomato sauce, along with pasta water, pecorino, parsley and mix until sauce is glossy and pasta is well coated. Add more pecorino and more pasta water as needed (1 tbsp or two at a time) Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowls, garnish with parsley, finish with pecorino and serve.
