A quick, no-fuss tomato pasta built for impressing someone special without any kitchen chaos. Punchy chilli and garlic simmer into a silky sauce, finished with a pool of melting burrata and fresh basil.
Serves 2 (easily doubled)
Ingredients
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small brown onion, very finely chopped
- 1 tsp chilli flakes (to taste, keep it spicy)
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 400g tin plum tomatoes (Mutti if you can get them)
- 2 sprigs fresh basil, plus extra to serve
- 20g butter
- 1½ tsp caster sugar
- 200g Monty & Sons Pasta
- 1 ball burrata, at room temperature
Method
- Add the garlic to a cold pan with the olive oil. Turn the heat to low and let the oil warm slowly until the garlic starts to sizzle — you're infusing the oil, not browning the garlic.
- Stir in the onion, chilli flakes and tomato purée. Cook gently until the onion has softened, about 10 minutes.
- Snip the tomatoes into the pan with kitchen scissors, then swirl a splash of water round the tin and pour that in too. Stir in the basil, bring to a gentle simmer, and let it barely bubble for 20 minutes until rich and thickened.
- Stir in the butter and sugar. Taste and adjust the seasoning — the sugar should just soften the tomatoes' acidity, not make the sauce sweet.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil and cook the pasta. Keep the sauce warm. Just before draining, scoop out a mugful of the starchy cooking water.
- Drain the pasta and tip it into the sauce. Toss well, loosening with splashes of the reserved starchy water and a drizzle of oil until it's silky and clings to every piece.
- Divide between deep bowls. Tear the burrata in half over the top, season with a little salt, and finish with a drizzle of olive oil and a handful of fresh basil leaves.
Note: Double all quantities for four. Room-temperature burrata melts into the hot pasta far better than cold — worth pulling it out early.
