Tomato Sauce with Rigatoni

Ingredients:

1 box of rigatoni (I use the brand Barilla)

1 can of crushed tomatoes

1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic (chopped)

½ of a yellow onion (chopped)

1 teaspoon of sugar

2 teaspoons of salt

1 teaspoon of black pepper

1 pinch of crushed red pepper

½ tablespoon of dried parsley flakes

Grated cheese (either Pecorino Romano or Parmesan)

Directions:

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Once oil is heated, add garlic and onions and cook until onions are translucent and garlic is lightly browned. Add the contents of the can of crushed tomatoes. Add sugar, salt (leave 1 teaspoon aside for the water), black pepper, and red pepper, turn heat to simmer, and stir occasionally. While the sauce is simmering, bring a pot of water and a teaspoon of salt to a boil and then add the rigatoni. Drain the rigatoni after it is finished cooking (cook time is on the box). Add sauce and serve topped with grated cheese.

Feel free to add or take away what you wish in order to make it your favorite dish!

I first remember using this recipe when I was only five years old. I would drag a kitchen chair over to the stove and beg my grandmother to let me help her add ingredients. Growing up, it seemed as if there was always a pot of tomato sauce (my mom calls it gravy) simmering on the stove. Because of this, the wonderful aroma that this sauce produces always reminds me of home.

I asked my mom to make this dish with me. While the sauce was simmering and we were waiting for the water to boil, we began to reminisce about my maternal grandmother and what a good cook she was (this year marked the tenth anniversary of her passing). Making this sauce was, in our opinion, a great way to honor her. Writing down this recipe was very difficult for me because, in my family, recipes are never written down! In fact, they are shown to others through actually making the dish together. So take this recipe with a grain of salt—literally!