Ingredients

• Ingredients
  1. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  2. 3 garlic cloves, halved
  3. 3 ounces thickly sliced pancetta, finely diced
  4. 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
  5. 1 tablespoon tomato paste
  6. One 35-ounce can whole peeled Italian tomatoes
  7. Salt and freshly ground pepper
  8. Pinch of sugar
  9. 2 basil sprigs
  10. 1 pound spaghetti

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the garlic, pancetta and crushed red pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is golden, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the canned tomatoes, crushing them with the back of a spoon; season with salt and pepper. Stir in the sugar and basil and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 3 cups, about 30 minutes. Discard the basil and garlic.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spaghetti until al dente; drain. Toss the spaghetti with the hot sauce and serve.

Make Ahead

The sauce can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month.