Pasta Marinara With 40 Cloves of Garlic

By Ali Slagle

Published Nov. 14, 2022

Pasta Marinara With 40 Cloves of Garlic
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.
Total Time
40 minutes
Rating
4(468)
Comments
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This vegan sauce may use the same ingredients as a light marinara, but it’s hearty like a meat ragù. The richness is created by both the sheer volume of the garlic — 40 cloves — and the way it’s handled. Smash the cloves to peel them easily (or buy peeled cloves), then braise them in oil so their stiff edges give way to a softer, gentler side and their sweet juices infuse the oil. Braised garlic is lovely with roasted chicken, incorporated into mashed potatoes, blended into salad dressing or in a curry. It also goes naturally with canned tomatoes that have been warmed just long enough to wake up their flavor. Think of this recipe as akin to a braised meat ragù, except the browned, slouchy main ingredient isn’t meat, but, thrillingly, garlic.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 40garlic cloves, peeled
  • Salt
  • 1pound rigatoni or other tubular pasta
  • 1(28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes or whole peeled tomatoes
  • ½teaspoon red-pepper flakes
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

649 calories; 16 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 109 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 827 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil and garlic over medium. When the garlic is sizzling, stir occasionally until the garlic turns light golden and begins to stick to the bottom of the pot, 3 to 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Season with salt, reduce heat to low, cover the pot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is soft, 13 to 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain.

  3. Step 3

    If using whole peeled tomatoes, break up the tomatoes with scissors or hands. Add the canned tomatoes and their liquid, as well as the red-pepper flakes, to the garlic, and season with salt. Increase heat to medium-high, partially cover the pot and cook until thickened and flavorful, 5 to 7 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Add the pasta to the sauce and stir vigorously until the sauce coats the noodles, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pasta water as needed to loosen the sauce and help it cling to the noodles, and serve.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
468 user ratings
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Comments

storey b

I don’t know. I think the dish needed more garlic.

Tyler

Use a tortilla press to smash 10-20 cloves at a time like a boss.

Thomas

I loved it. So simple and delightful. HOWEVER: digesting it proved to be a formidable endeavor.

Ryan

Be very careful with this. I read the comments about possible G.I. issues so I had a small portion the first night and felt fine. I am NOT feeling fine today however, having had it again for both lunch and dinner yesterday. Also, it doesn’t taste great, just mediocre.

John

Meh. This turns out EXACTLY as you expect it will. There is no magically "thrilling" synergy of flavor. If you go for the extremities of roasted garlic, then you'll like this. Double down on the pepper flakes and maybe add some "bomba" to make it a truly angry sauce. But, as far as I'm concerned, if I'm going to eat this much garlic in one session, give me a Lebanese meal with a roasted garlic head as a side.

Needs more salt and longer cook time

I found this kind of bland? It could’ve been the garlic I was using, but I found the sauce lacked flavour and a was a bit dull. Everything needs to be cooked at least twice as long as suggested

Richard X

The longer cooking time results in another dish entirely. This is a light tomato sauce and should not be "cooked down" until it resembled the ragu that comes in a jar from the supermarket. Also, hard to imagine that 40 cloves a garlic lack flavour.

Rik

@Richard X Recipe states: "... akin to braided meat ragu", redirecting to a recipe that cooks for three hours. Doubling time in this recipe doesn't seem like a problem to me.

Richard X

@Rik: the link you mention compares flavor, not cooking time. The head note also refers to "tomatoes that have been warmed just long enough to wake up their flavor."

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