Macaroni and tomatoes is a comfort food dish and a family favorite meal. Fresh tomatoes are used to create homemade tomato sauce for this easy pasta recipe.
Fill a large bowl with cold water and some ice cubes to make an ice bath.
Using a paring knife, make an "X" on the bottom of the tomatoes. Do not cut too deep, just through the skin.
Once the water starts boiling add the tomatoes and cook for 30 - 60 seconds or until the skin starts to fall off of the tomatoes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer tomatoes to the ice bath.
Once tomatoes are cool enough to handle remove skin. Slice tomatoes in half and remove the seeds inside. Reserve 1/2 cup of tomato seeds and juices. Dice tomatoes
Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant. Stir in diced tomatoes, reserved tomato juices, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, begin cooking your pasta according to package directions. At this time you can also chose to leave the sauce as is for a chunky version or use an immersion blender to make it a little more sauce like. It's up to you.
Transfer cooked pasta to the tomato sauce. Stir to combine. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Transfer to serving dish.
Roll basil leaves together and chop. Sprinkle over the pasta and serve.