The first time I made this, I was standing in my kitchen with leftover makhani sauce and no desire for rice. What came out of that moment is now the dish I am asked to make more than any other. The logic is simple: makhani and Marcella Hazan’s great butter-tomato sauce share the same bones — tomato, butter, slow heat. Change the aromatics and you change the passport, not the soul.
San Marzano tomatoes — lower in acidity, naturally sweet, built for long cooking — work better here than the Roma tomatoes traditional to makhani. The Parmigiano-Reggiano at the end earns its place the same way it does in any Italian pasta: salt, depth, finish. Leftover sauce keeps well refrigerated for up to four days and only improves overnight.
Spaghetti al Makhani
4
servings20
minutes2
hours10
minutesIngredients
2 16-oz. cans 2 San Marzano tomatoes, whole peeled
12 oz. 12 roasted cashews
5 5 green cardamom pods
1 bunch 1 cilantro stems
8 oz. 8 unsalted butter (2 sticks)
2 2 yellow onions, roughly chopped
3 tbsp. 3 smoked paprika
2 tbsp. 2 garlic powder
2 tbsp. 2 ginger powder
2 cups 2 heavy cream
16 oz. 16 spaghetti
Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly grated, for finishing
fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish
Directions
- Combine tomatoes, cashews, cardamom pods, cilantro stems, butter, onion, smoked paprika, garlic powder and ginger powder in a heavy-bottomed pot over low heat.
- Cook uncovered for 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is deep, thick and fragrant.
- Remove cardamom pods and transfer sauce to a blender. Blend until completely smooth.
- Return sauce to the pot over low heat and stir in heavy cream. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook spaghetti until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Add drained pasta to the sauce over medium heat, tossing to coat. Add reserved pasta water a little at a time until the sauce clings evenly to every strand.
- Plate and finish with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and fresh cilantro leaves.
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