Fill a large stock pot two thirds full with water and place over high heat to bring to a boil. Once you start to see steam, add 3 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ Tbsp. Morton kosher salt. We know, we know: That looks like a LOT of salt. But salting the pasta water aggressively—it should almost be seawater-salty—is the key to making sure every noodle is properly seasoned. It’s the main reason restaurant pasta tastes better than the stuff you usually make. While you wait for the water to boil, start your sauce.
Step 2
Open a 28-oz. can of whole peeled tomatoes and drain contents in a colander set over a medium bowl. (Whole peeled tomatoes are the only canned tomatoes worth buying, tbh. The diced ones sometimes have weird chemicals added to them to keep the chunks from breaking down.) Using clean fingers, poke a hole in the tomatoes and shake to drain liquid and seeds from the insides of each tomato, reserving liquid. Shake colander over bowl to separate the solids from all the juices and encourage liquid to drain; set aside, reserving juices.
Step 3
Smash 4 garlic cloves with the flat side of a chef’s knife forcefully, breaking garlic into smaller bits; remove skins. If the cloves are really big, you might need to give them an extra whack to make sure they’re broken down. Don’t bother chopping—the garlic will infuse into the oil as it sizzles and break down as the sauce simmers.
Step 4
Working next to your pasta pot, warm 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. (We like using a Dutch oven or a large, high-sided skillet for cooking sauce and finishing pasta; it’s kind of the only thing big enough to toss a whole pound of pasta in without noodles flying everywhere.) Add garlic and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until garlic is golden all over, about 3 minutes.
Step 5
Stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes, then add drained tomato solids and increase heat to medium-high. The idea here is to concentrate the flavor of the solids before adding the tomatoe juices, which will give your sauce a more complex, rounded flavor. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are darkened in color, browned and caramelized in spots, and starting to break down, 6–8 minutes. Don’t rush this part! If you aren’t getting color, let it go for another few minutes. Mash with the back of the wooden spoon to form a coarse paste.
Step 6
Add reserved tomato liquid to pot and stir to combine. Season with a pinch of kosher salt, throw in 3 basil sprigs, and reduce heat so sauce is bubbling at a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced and sauce reaches the thickness of applesauce, 8–10 minutes. If your water isn’t boiling yet, turn off heat under sauce while you wait;