A single plate of summer. Colorful, fragrant, and wonderfully simple.
For many Italians, a plate of spaghetti with garlic and tomato sauce is like coming home after a long journey. The way the pasta swirls around the fork, the sauce threatening to stain your shirt, the intoxicating scent of basil, the unmistakable Italian colours – a cliché, yes, but one we fully embrace. Consciously, nostalgically, joyfully.
Everyone has their own version of tomato sauce: butter or olive oil, garlic or onion, basil or parsley. A pot of sauce is more than a recipe – it’s a family story, generations of trial and error, forgotten and rediscovered ingredients. Sometimes, a single clove of garlic can change everything.
And then there’s the olive oil – the green heart and soul of Italian cooking. It binds everything together, adds depth, and often, it’s what makes a dish unforgettable.
This spaghetti is one of the simplest you can make – and yet, in its simplicity, it is perfect. All you need are a few high-quality ingredients: real Tuscan extra virgin olive oil, garlic, chili, parsley, and spaghetti (preferably Martelli, handmade since 1926 in Lari – I’ve written about it before, go check it out!). And to capture the essence of summer: slow-roasted, colorful confit cherry tomatoes.
🍅 A Single Plate of Summer
The confit tomatoes add incredible depth to this classic dish. Slow-roasting intensifies the flavor and gives them a silky texture. Choose tomatoes of all colors – yellow, red, brown – to make your plate as beautiful as it is delicious. Once made, these tomatoes can be stored in the fridge for days, ready to elevate any simple pasta dish.
📝 Recipe – Spaghetti with Garlic, Olive Oil, Chili and Confit Cherry Tomatoes
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Serves: 4
Ingredients for the confit cherry tomatoes:
- 1 kg mixed-color cherry tomatoes (yellow, red, brown…)
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Extra virgin olive oil (preferably fresh and local)
- Sea salt
Ingredients for the spaghetti:
- 400 g spaghetti (Martelli if possible)
- 8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- Chili (fresh or crushed, to taste)
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
🔪 Instructions
1. Prepare the confit tomatoes:
Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Wash the cherry tomatoes and place them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Season with salt, scatter the garlic slices on top, and generously drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 1 hour, then switch off the oven and let the tomatoes rest inside until the oven cools completely.
Transfer the tomatoes to an airtight jar along with the infused oil and store in the fridge.
2. Cook the spaghetti:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the spaghetti until al dente.
Meanwhile, in a large pan over low heat, warm the olive oil with the garlic and chili. When the garlic begins to melt and turn golden, stir in the confit tomatoes along with some of their oil.
Drain the pasta and toss it into the pan to combine and absorb the flavors.
Top with fresh parsley and serve immediately.
This recipe is pure summer. Fragrant, colorful, simple, and utterly satisfying. The kind of dish you enjoy on a shaded terrace with a glass of chilled white wine or rosé, as olive oil slowly trails across the edge of your plate.
Because sometimes, that’s all you need to feel life is truly beautiful.