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Frank's Fresh Tomato Sauce for Spaghetti

A tomato sauce made with olive oil, onion, garlic, canned tomatoes, herbs, and chili, served over spaghetti.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Basil and oregano match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 1,390 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Frank's Fresh Tomato Sauce for Spaghetti

Timeabout 15 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Put 2 tbsp salt into 4 quarts water and bring to a boil.

Make the sauce

  1. In a skillet, heat the olive oil; add the onion and garlic cloves.

  2. Sauté until brown and remove the garlic.

  3. Put the tomatoes in a blender with some of the liquid from the can and mix gently, less than a minute.

  4. Slowly pour the tomatoes into the skillet.

  5. Be very careful because the liquid on the oil has a tendency to explode.

  6. Let this simmer for about 15 minutes.

Finish and serve

  1. After adding the seasoning, when the spaghetti is done boiling, pour the sauce over it.

  2. Drain the spaghetti first.

  3. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with small side dishes of red pepper flakes and romano cheese, hot crusty French bread and Italian red wine.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

323Calories
10 gProtein
24 gFat
20 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 11 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Olive Oil1 tbsp (14g)119
Romano Cheese1 oz (28g) cheddar113
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Oregano1 tsp dried (1.8g)5
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Parsley1 tbsp chopped fresh (3.8g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Basil + oreganotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,390 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Olive + tomatotop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together15,539 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  3. Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,979 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  4. Basil + parsleytop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,351 recipes

    Shared aroma: myristicin (spice, warm).

  5. Tomato + oreganotop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together2,767 recipes

    Shared aroma: 2-hexenal (green, leafy).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Olive oil
Carries heat and flavor and helps the onion and garlic brown in the skillet.
Onion
Browning softens its sharpness and adds sweetness to the sauce base.
Garlic
Browning in oil releases aroma that flavors the whole sauce.
Tomatoes
Provide the sauce's body, moisture and acidity as they simmer.
Spaghetti
Its starchy surface holds the sauce once the pasta is drained and served.

The step that matters

Slowly pour the tomatoes into the skillet. Water in the tomatoes hits the hot oil and turns to steam instantly, so adding them slowly reduces violent spattering and burns.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (olive, tomato, pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, clove):

  1. Eggplantfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Carrotfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against olive, tomato, pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, clove. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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