A genuine pasta dish from the Sicilian tradition with bronze-drawn wholewheat pasta and fresh tomato sauce
Introduction
There is something deeply reassuring about the scent of a tomato sauce simmering slowly in the pan while the pasta cooks in salted water. It is the daily ritual of millions of Italian families, a gesture of love repeated for generations.
Wholewheat caserecce with tomato sauce is the essence of Italian cooking: a few ingredients of outstanding quality that together make a perfect dish. The Wholewheat Durum Caserecce from Mulino Terrevive, bronze-drawn and slowly dried, bring the authentic flavour of ancient Veneto grains to the table.
History and Origin of Caserecce
Caserecce are a pasta shape from Sicily, whose name comes from «casereccio», meaning «home-made». Their characteristic shape — an elongated curl with a slight twist and a groove down the middle — comes from the gesture of Sicilian housewives, who rolled the fresh pasta around a thin rod.
This traditional shape has spread throughout Italy thanks to its extraordinary ability to hold sauce. The groove and the rough surface, typical of bronze drawing, catch every drop of dressing, guaranteeing a full and satisfying taste in every mouthful.
Choosing wholewheat pasta fits perfectly into the philosophy of Slow Food: food that is good, clean and fair, which respects farming traditions and makes the most of local raw materials. Italian durum wheat, stone-ground, keeps all the nutritional properties of the whole grain.
Ingredients for Caserecce with Tomato Sauce (4 people)
For the Pasta
- Wholewheat Durum Caserecce 320 g
- Coarse salt for the pasta to taste
- Grated Parmigiano Reggiano to taste
For the Tomato Sauce
- San Marzano peeled tomatoes 400 g
- Extra virgin olive oil 4 tablespoons
- Garlic 1 clove
- Fresh basil 6-8 leaves
- Chilli (optional) to taste
Nutritional Values per Serving
Equipment Needed
To make perfect wholewheat caserecce with tomato sauce you will need:
- ✓ A roomy pot for cooking the pasta (at least 4 litres)
- ✓ A wide pan (Ø 28-30 cm) for the sauce and the final toss
- ✓ A slotted spoon for draining the pasta
- ✓ A fork for crushing the tomatoes
How to Make Wholewheat Caserecce with Tomato Sauce
Making the Aromatic Base
In a roomy pan, pour in the extra virgin olive oil and warm it over a gentle heat. Add the whole clove of garlic (lightly crushed with the palm of your hand to release its aromas) and let it turn golden for , never letting it burn. If you prefer a more delicate flavour, you can remove the garlic at the end of cooking.
Cooking the Tomato Sauce
Tip the peeled tomatoes into the pan, crushing them with a fork as they cook. Add a pinch of salt and a few leaves of basil torn coarsely by hand. If you like heat, add half a chilli. Let it simmer over a medium-low heat for , stirring now and then, until the sauce has thickened slightly and the oil rises to the surface.
Cooking the Wholewheat Caserecce
Meanwhile, bring plenty of salted water to the boil (about 1 litre for every 100 g of pasta). Tip in the Wholewheat Caserecce and stir straight away so they do not stick. Cook them for the time on the packet, but drain them 1 minute early to keep them al dente and finish in the pan.
Tossing and Serving
Lift the caserecce out with a slotted spoon, keeping a generous ladle of cooking water. Tip them straight into the pan with the sauce and toss over a high heat for , stirring energetically and adding the cooking water a little at a time if needed. The starch released by the pasta will create a natural creaminess. Serve at once with leaves of fresh basil and a generous grating of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Wine Pairing for Caserecce with Tomato Sauce
A simple tomato sauce is an acidic dish: peeled tomatoes, garlic, basil, a thread of oil. Against the acidity of tomato a soft, warm red goes limp, and a very tannic one turns metallic. What is needed is a red with acidity of its own and light tannin, able to keep pace without getting in the way.
As this is a Sicilian recipe, the local wine would be a Nero d'Avola: the red born in the same soil as the tomatoes of this recipe. We do not stock it: from our cellar, the wine that resembles it in function — full fruit, gentle tannin, lively acidity — comes from the Valpolicella.
The Red We Recommend
Allegretto Valpolicella D.O.C. — Italo Cescon — Corvina and Rondinella give a red of crisp cherry, light in body and carried by an acidity that acts as a mirror to the tomato rather than an opponent. The tannin is so discreet that it does not stiffen the mouthful, and the easy drinking stands up to the chilli too, if you added any. Serve at 15-16 °C, a degree cooler than room temperature.
Want to know more about the grape? our guide to Valpolicella
If You Want More Structure
Refosco D.O.C. Friuli — Italo Cescon — If the sauce has cooked longer and is more concentrated, perhaps with the pasta returned to the pan and a grating of pecorino, the Refosco has the extra structure that is needed: dark fruit, a grassy note, a firmer tannin but always governed by Friulian acidity. Serve at 16 °C.
Want to know more about the grape? our guide to Refosco
Craft Beer as an Alternative
Bold Helles Beer — pale — With a simple dish, the right beer is the one that does not show off: a Helles brings pale malt, a dry finish and a carbonation that cleans the oil without adding bitterness — which matters, because strong hopping jars against an acidic sauce. Serve at 4-6 °C.
Want to know more about the style? pale craft beers
Variations on Caserecce with Tomato Sauce
- All'arrabbiata: Add plenty of chilli and a handful of fresh parsley at the end of cooking for a sauce with real character.
- With ricotta salata: Replace the parmigiano with grated ricotta salata for a touch that is more authentically Sicilian still.
- Alla Norma: Add cubes of fried aubergine to the sauce and finish with ricotta salata: that is how one of the most iconic dishes of Sicily is born.
- With olives and capers: For a more intense Mediterranean flavour, add Taggiasca olives and desalted capers to the sauce in the last 5 minutes of cooking.
- Vegan: Leave out the parmigiano and finish with nutritional yeast flakes or a touch of breadcrumbs toasted with garlic and parsley.
Frequently Asked Questions about Caserecce with Tomato Sauce
Why choose wholewheat pasta?
Wholewheat pasta keeps the bran and the germ of the wheat grain, offering up to three times the fibre of refined pasta. That makes it more filling and helps keep blood sugar levels steady. The flavour, too, is more intense and «rustic», perfect for lifting simple sauces such as tomato.
How much sauce do I need for 320 g of pasta?
The general rule is about 100 g of sauce for every 80 g of dried pasta. For 320 g of caserecce, 400 g of peeled tomatoes is perfect. Remember that wholewheat pasta has a more porous surface and absorbs more dressing, so you may need to add a little more cooking water as you toss.
What does «bronze-drawn» mean?
Bronze drawing is an artisan method in which the dough is pushed through bronze dies. This process creates a rough, porous surface that holds sauce better than industrial pasta drawn through teflon, which comes out smooth and slippery. You can taste the difference at the first mouthful!
Can I use fresh tomatoes instead of peeled ones?
Absolutely! In summer, with ripe and flavourful tomatoes, the result will be excellent. Blanch them for 30 seconds in boiling water, skin them and use them in the same way. Bear in mind, though, that fresh tomatoes hold more water, so the sauce will need a few more minutes to thicken.
Why keep the pasta cooking water?
The cooking water is rich in the starch released by the pasta as it cooks. Added during the final toss, it helps create a creamy emulsion that binds pasta and sauce perfectly. It is the secret of Italian chefs for pasta dishes that are always velvety and enveloping.
