Published June 22, 2019 • Last Updated May 4, 2022
This savory and delicious Italian pasta dish is one of Audrey Hepburn’s favorite meals. Audrey was not only a great actress but a great cook too. This pasta has an amazing homemade sauce with carrots, celery, basil, and tomatoes. It’s a fun meal you can enjoy while watching one of her movies.
Audrey Hepburn (Audrey Kathleen Ruston) was born on May 4, 1929, in Brussels, Belgium. Her last name Hepburn was added later when the name was found in some documents that belonged to her father’s ancestors. Her mother Baroness Ella van Heemstra was Dutch and her father Joseph Victor Anthony Ruston was Irish. Her family traveled between London, Brussels, and the Netherlands frequently.
When Audrey was younger, she loved ballet and dreamed of becoming a ballerina. During World War II, malnutrition made it difficult for her to keep up with being a professional dancer. She then decided to move on from being a dancer and turned to modeling and acting. Audrey credits her breakthrough to the French writer, Collette (Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette), who cast her in Gigi. Not long after her acting debut, the production chief of Paramount London offices suggested to the American counterpart to screen test her for the lead role in Roman Holiday. The American studio loved her and the rest is history from there. She won an Academy Award for her role in Roman Holiday, one Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, and received five other Academy Award nominations. She also stars in other classic Hollywood films including Sabrina, Funny Face, My Fair Lady, Charade, How to Steal a Million, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
Audrey was known to be thin but she enjoyed eating and cooking. According to her son Sean Hepburn Ferrer, she was a wonderful cook. In his book Audrey Hepburn, An Elegant Spirit, he says she stayed slender by staying active and eating single servings. She believed that meals should always have a color combination in them. Audrey didn’t snack much and didn’t eat too many sweets. However, she claimed chocolate as her all-time favorite dessert. Indulging in a nice piece of chocolate cake would hit the spot for her.
“Let’s face it, a nice creamy chocolate cake does a lot for a lot of people; it does for me.” – Audrey Hepburn
During the times she lived in Italy, she learned to love cooking Italian cuisine, especially pasta with a fresh homemade tomato sauce with fresh vegetables and herbs. It was a favorite of hers to have during the week.
In honor of her birthday, enjoy this delicious spaghetti al pomodoro. She would enjoy making this once a week. The sauce is amazing in all of its tomatoey glory. Top it with fresh Parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves. All these fresh ingredients add to the overall flavor of the dish. Serve this with a side salad with an Italian vinaigrette and garlic bread. For dessert, enjoy a fudgey brownie, slice of chocolate cake or you can make this decadent Instant Pot Chocolate Lava Cake. The ideal Italian meal all-in-one place. Perfecto!
Alternative Version of this Dish
For a plant-based alternative, you can substitute pasta noodles for zucchini noodles. Use a spiralizer to slice up the zucchini. After slicing, top your zucchini noodles with the Pomodoro sauce. Garnish with fresh basil. It’s that easy!
Spaghetti al Pomodoro
Ingredients
For Pasta:
- 1 lb spaghetti pasta
For Sauce:
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 2 (28 oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste
For Garnish:
- Parmesan cheese, shredded
- Italian seasoning, for garnish
- fresh basil leaves, sliced
Instructions
For Pasta:
- In a stock pot, add kosher salt and and water. Bring to a boil. Add spaghetti pasta, cook for about 10 minutes until al dente. Drain and set aside.
For Sauce:
- Prepare and wash vegetables. Chop celery and carrots. Mince the garlic. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, celery and carrots. Cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes.
- Add whole peeled tomatoes to stockpot. Top with fresh basil leaves. Cover with lid and allow to simmer for 45 minutes to cook carrots and celery.
- After sauce has simmered for 45 minutes, take spoon and break up tomatoes. Stir all ingredients together to help create a chunky sauce. Turn heat on low and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
- Season sauce with kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste.
For Garnish:
- Cut up remaining fresh basil leaves with kitchen scissors into ribbons.
- Serve spaghetti pasta topped with tomato sauce. Garnish with Parmesan, Italian seasoning, and fresh basil leaves.
Notes
- Green salad with Italian vinaigrette
- Garlic bread
- Chocolate cake or brownies
- Try this Instant Pot Chocolate Lava Cake recipe.
