Rigatoni

When you need pasta on the table fast and don’t want to open a jar of sauce, this is the recipe. Garlic gets a slow start in oil so it perfumes the whole pan without burning, then canned stewed tomatoes and tomato sauce go in along with oregano for a fast, lightly herby sauce that tastes like it simmered all afternoon.

Stewed tomatoes are the ones to reach for here, not plain crushed or whole. The light seasoning baked into stewed tomatoes (a touch of celery, onion, sweet pepper) builds extra savory depth in the time it takes to boil the rigatoni. Plain tomatoes will work in a pinch, but the sauce reads thinner.

Fresh parsley goes in at the end for brightness and color. The ridges and hollow middles of rigatoni grab the sauce in a way smoother shapes can’t, so every bite gets sauce inside and out.

Finish with a generous grating of parmesan, and don’t be shy with it.

Pro Tips

• Sauté the garlic on medium-low. The 3 minutes in the directions assumes a gentle heat, not a hard sizzle. Burnt garlic ruins the whole sauce.
• Reserve a half cup of pasta water before draining. A splash loosens the sauce and helps it cling.
• Toss the pasta with the sauce in the saucepan, not just on the plate. The pasta absorbs flavor as it gets coated.
• Use a quality canned tomato. The sauce is so simple that the tomatoes carry the whole show.

Variations

• Add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic for a spicy arrabbiata style.
• Stir in a handful of torn basil leaves at the end for a classic Italian finish.
• Brown some Italian sausage with the garlic for a heartier, meaty version.