It’s no secret that I love italian cuisine. Growing up in an Italian household, we ate pasta at least 5 nights a week. While that might seem a bit excessive, there is nothing I enjoy more than a simple bowl of pasta and homemade sauce. Lately, I have been exploring other types of pasta and fallen in love with Spelt varieties. Spelt has a mild, almost nutty flavor and is high in both protein and fiber. Also known as Farro in Italy, this grain is also perfect if your trying to reduce your wheat intake.

We received a ton of great heirloom tomatoes in our CSA this week and a fresh Pomodoro sauce seemed like the perfect accompaniment to my newfound love of spelt pasta. Tomatoes still have a few weeks in season so be sure to make this soon, Mangiamo!

Perfect Pomodoro Sauce

Ingredients:

1/4 cup good quality olive oil
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
4-5 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or minced
2 tsp. sugar
1 tbsp. Earth Balance Butter (or other non-hydrogenated margarine)
Salt
1 lb. Spelt angel hair pasta (VitaSpelt makes a great one or use whatever pasta you have on hand. I love a thin cappelini or angel hair for this sauce)

In a sauce pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and the salt, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently until fragrant but not burned. If you burn the garlic- remove it or else it will ruin the sauce. Add the tomatoes and sugar and cook for 10-15 minutes until reduced and thick.

In the meantime, prepare your pasta; bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water.

Check on your sauce, if you like it chunky then leave it as is. I prefer a smoother sauce: using a immersion blender and pulse the sauce a few times to make a tomato sauce with a few chunks of tomatoes. Alternatively, you can puree a cup of sauce in a blender and add back to the tomatoes.

Add the torn basil and butter to the sauce. Toss with the hot pasta and 1/2 cup pasta water.

Makes about 6 servings: Per serving: 371 calories, 13g fat, 2g sat. fat, 58g carbs, 8g fiber, 12g protein.