Spaghetti al Pomodoro: The 3-Michelin-Star Tomato Sauce That Breaks Every Rule

When you think of Spaghetti al Pomodoro, you probably picture a slow-simmered sauce of crushed San Marzano tomatoes cooking for hours until rich and dark.

At Ristorante Quattro Passi, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant perched on the cliffs of Nerano along Italy’s Amalfi Coast, Chef Fabrizio Mellino proves that sometimes less really is more.

His signature Spaghetti al Pomodoro abandons canned tomatoes, heavy purées, and long cooking times altogether. Instead, sweet cherry tomatoes, whole cloves of garlic, fresh basil, extra virgin olive oil, and just enough water are gently simmered together, creating a fragrant golden tomato broth rather than a thick sauce.

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Homemade Italian Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

While this is not traditionally a dish found in restaurants around Italy, I think it’s pretty much synonymous with Italian American cuisine. My approach is to keep it simple and treat it as two dishes combined. Meatballs in a marinara sauce. 

There are so many options for meatballs and so many things you can add. This is my basic recipe and feel free to experiment. 

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