Adding This Smoky Ingredient Gives Spaghetti Sauce 10X The Flavor

A spaghetti dish is only as good as the sauce you use for it. When the sauce is plain, the whole dish is plain. Fortunately, it's not too difficult to cook up a good batch of spaghetti sauce, or find a store-bought jar that hits the spot impeccably. Even then, you can always reinvent that familiar base whenever the taste buds demand more, with as much simplicity or complexity as you want. Should dinner night call for a classic plate of spaghetti, only much deeper and more flavorful, you'd only need charred tomato paste to get the job done.

Charred tomato paste is made by roasting tomatoes until they slightly char around the edges, then blending them into a purée. Simmer the mixture for about an hour until it thickens, and you should have a rich, flavorful paste ready to use. Considering how bold it is, start easy with a small spoonful. Heat it with a bit of oil beforehand to bring out its hidden sweetness, then whisk it straight into your spaghetti sauce as it's simmering on the stove. If you notice the sauce thickening up too much, loosen the consistency with pasta water or broth.

Much like how a rich tomato paste is used to liven up store-bought marinara sauce, this charred rendition is excellent for taking your spaghetti sauce — both homemade and canned — to the next level. That tomato base becomes even more intense as it's laced with the paste's concentrated tang. Additionally, since the tomatoes are charred, they come with a smoky edge that adds extra dimension. At the core, your spaghetti dish remains true to its savory warmth, only much more intricate.

As a gateway to better flavors, the charred tomato paste can always be upgraded to introduce even more nuances to your spaghetti dish. The most foolproof ingredient to use every time is garlic. You can't really go wrong with this aromatic and its peppery sharpness, especially not if it's also roasted to a char or turned into confit. Fresh herbs are another wondrous addition, with sprinkles of oregano, basil, or parsley invigorating the whole dish with their herbaceous sparks. Taking it one step further, you've got Italian seasoning, which is a blend of dried herbs that will imbue the sauce with an herby zing.

For more significant flavor changes to the paste, experiment with the tomatoes themselves. Cherry tomatoes often taste better than large ones, so if you want a sweeter tang, this is the swap to make. Toning down the acidity, yellow tomatoes are the ideal alternative. You can even add other veggies to the mix, such as bell peppers, to add an earthy, almost fruity sweetness to the paste, and subsequently, the spaghetti sauce. For those who like their spaghetti dish spicy and smoky, crushed chili peppers, or maybe even chipotles in adobo sauce, are the way to go.

Matching the sauce's charred warmth, smoky toppings are how you complete this dish. For the most flavorful spaghetti, use chorizo instead of ground beef, and you've got an instant game-changer for dinner night. If you still want to stick to the classic meatballs, consider sprinkling in bacon bits. If nothing else, a few roasted tomatoes on the side are more than enough to complete the dish.