Name: Lidia's Spaghetti with Tomato Apple Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 3 cups canned pureed tomatoes, San Marzano recommended; 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 1 medium celery stalk, diced; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 lb. tart green apples, like Granny Smith (3 medium apples); 1 lb spaghetti; 3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese; salt to taste

Lidia’s Spaghetti with Tomato Apple Sauce

Print Recipe

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 4 reviews

Cooking green apples with tomato sauce is a surprisingly good combination! Enjoy this fresh tasting apple tomato sauce over a steaming plate of spaghetti, topped with plenty of cheese.

Author: Cooking Chat, Adapted from Lidia Bastianich
Prep Time: 5 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 35 mins
Yield: 5 servings 1x
Category: Main
Method: stove top
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

3 cups canned pureed tomatoes, San Marzano recommended
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 medium celery stalk, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 lb. tart green apples, like Granny Smith (3 medium apples)
1 lb spaghetti
3/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
salt to taste

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Cook the celery and onion. Pour 4 tablespoons of the olive oil into a skillet on medium heat. Add the celery and onion to the pan. Cook until the onions begin to soften and caramelize, about 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes: Stir in the pureed tomatoes, season with a bit of salt.
Prepare the apples: As the tomatoes begin to simmer, peel and core the apples, removing seeds. Shred the apples, using coarse holes of a shredder or grater.
Add apples to sauce: When the tomatoes have cooked about 5 minutes, stir the apples into the sauce. Bring the skillet back to simmer, and cook the sauce uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring a bit here and there, until it has begun to thicken and the apple shreds are cooked and tender.
Cook the pasta: As the tomato apple sauce cooks, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop in the spaghetti, and cook it until al dente.
Finish the dish: Strain the pasta when done to your liking and combine with the sauce. Toss the pasta with the sauce for a minute or two, until it is thoroughly coated and cooked just right. Turn off heat, sprinkle the grated cheese over the pasta and toss well. Serve the pasta immediately, passing extra cheese at the table. Enjoy with a glass of Italian red wine!

Notes

The apples can be shredded by hand with a grater, or use the grater attachment of a food processor.
I have tried this recipe without the celery and it was OK, but it comes out better with the celery included.
Measurement shortcut: If you have a 28 oz can of tomatoes, pulling out 1/4 cup (4 ozs roughly) leaves you with the 3 cups of tomatoes left in the can.

Find it online: https://cookingchatfood.com/tomato-apple-sauce/