Heavy cream
When it comes to the canned tomatoes, it should be noted that Garten strongly recommends using the San Marzano variety. The Barefoot Contessa star is definitely not a fan of plain canned tomatoes.
A canned tomato is not that interesting, she told the New York Times Sam Sifton during the virtual launch of her new cookbook Modern Comfort Food in October. You can use a San Marzano tomato that has interesting flavor.
But Garten does allow for other adjustments in this recipe. The point, after all, is for it to be pantry-friendly.
You can substitute the sirloin for any ground meat or chopped mushrooms. Garten says it s also fine to use any dried pasta that you like! for this dish, and that it s okay to leave out the cream and basil if you don t have any.