This video is unavailable because we were unable to load a message from our sponsors.

If you are using ad-blocking software, please disable it and reload the page.

This tomato sauce is best at the peak of summer when tomatoes are their ripest. I’ve always loved fresh tomato sauce but I hate having to blanch and peel the tomatoes because it’s so time consuming. Using a cheese grater is a great shortcut—or should I say ‘grate’ short cut!

See how this recipe was made on Facebook Live!

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds very red tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound sweet Italian sausage
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tablespoons tomatoes paste
  • 1/2 cup white wine or chicken stock
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or fresh
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • A parmesan rind (optional)
  • A handful basil, torn
  • 1 pound rigatoni or whatever short cut pasta you prefer
  • A handful parsley, chopped
  • Grated parmesan, for topping

Yield

Serves: 4

Preparation

Place a cheese grater over a large bowl. Cut each of the tomatoes in half and grate the tomatoes into the bowl until you reach the skin of the tomato; discard the skin.

In a Dutch oven or large saucepot, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks. Once brown, add the onion and garlic, and sauté for a few minutes. Add in the tomato paste and cook for another minute, just until it melts. Deglaze the pan with the wine or stock, and bring it to a bubble. Once bubbling, season with salt, oregano and crushed red pepper flakes. Add in all of the grated tomatoes and bring to a bubble. Reduce heat to medium low and cook for 1 hour, or until sauce it reduced by half.


Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add a tablespoon of salt then the rigatoni and cook just shy of al dente. Drain the pasta and add it to the bubbling sauce to cook for a minute or two, until the sauce starts to adhere to the pasta. Add in the basil.

Dish the pasta into shallow bowls and top with parsley and grated cheese.