Cherry Tomato Pasta

I make this Cherry Tomato Pasta on repeat in my house for a reason! It's crazy-delicious, ready in 15 minutes, and perfect for busy weeknights.

If you’re after a flavorful yet easy meal to make this week, this Cherry Tomato Pasta is the one. The beautiful cherry tomatoes are sweet and juicy and create the yummiest pasta sauce. You can even serve it cold too during the summertime! Whenever I see these glorious tomatoes at the farmers market, I just know I'm cooking pasta with cherry tomatoes for dinner!

All you need are 5 ingredients and 15 minutes and it's ready to eat! It’s also naturally vegan too, so everyone can enjoy it. You can also top it with freshly grated parmigiano reggiano or some burrata cheese….YUM! If you love burrata, you must try my beautiful burrata pasta.

Enjoyed hot or cold, this vibrant dish is sure to be a hit at your next gathering. I’ve used a mix of different colored cherry tomatoes along with baby plum tomatoes also known as grape tomatoes. You can use whichever tomatoes are in season, which is when they’re the tastiest of course. 

Here in Italy, Italians would call this pasta pomodoro or pomodorini to be exact. It’s a staple dish made in most households because Italians love tomatoes, and they do grow them perfectly here, hehe 🙂.

Some more pasta with cherry tomatoes recipes are my Sicilian pesto, Italian pasta salad

Table of Contents

• Why you'll love this recipe
• Ingredients and Substitutions
• How to make Cherry Tomato Pasta
• Tips and Tricks
• Storage and Reheating
• FAQs
• More Quick Pastas
• Recipe
• Comments

Why you'll love this recipe

• Deliciously vibrant: This pasta dish is bursting with flavor and color making a vibrant delicious cherry tomato sauce
• Quick and easy: With only 5 ingredients and 15 minutes, you can make this simple yet tasty meal
• Versatile: Enjoy as is or pair with your favorite protein, veggies or toppings, you can even enjoy it hot or cold during the summer 
• Crowd pleaser: Everyone will love this dish and its naturally vegan too! Making it perfect to serve for a gathering or party, it can even be eaten as a side dish

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Cherry Tomatoes of course are the main star of the show, so the best quality you can find is key. Here I’ve used a mix of yellow orange and red cherry tomatoes along with grape tomatoes also known as baby plum tomatoes. You can use whatever is in season or a mix like I have done for extra color
• Pasta, I love using spaghetti pasta for this dish, but you can really use your favorite pasta shape whether short or long pasta. Some other shapes I like to use are orecchiette, rigatoni or linguine  
• Garlic gives a lovely depth to the base of this sauce, if you love it extra garlicky, feel free to double the quantity
• Extra virgin olive oil adds richness to this simple sauce. I also love to add a drizzle right before serving to make it silky and luscious
• Basil leaves add freshness and work so well with the cherry tomatoes both in the sauce and also for garnish. Fresh herbs are my preference, but dried herbs can be added if you can't get your hands on fresh. Parsley is also a substitute that works well 
• Optional, parmigiano reggiano aka parmesan cheese, is an optional ingredient. It brings more saltiness and a nutty flavor, but you can totally leave this out and keep it a vegan pasta dish.
  You can also add red pepper flakes for a little spicy kick or black pepper

How to make Cherry Tomato Pasta

Make this easy weeknight cherry tomato pasta recipe in no time at all. Follow the simple steps below.

1. Saute diced garlic cloves with olive oil over low heat
2. Slice cherry tomatoes in half or quarters (depending on the size) and add to the pan. Season with salt
3. Boil pasta in a large pot of heavily salted water 
4. When tomatoes start to blister, press them down with the back of a wooden spoon to release some of the juices. Add a ladle of the pasta water and continue to simmer over medium-high heat
5. Once the pasta is just under being cooked to al dente (check the package instructions and minus 2 mins), add pasta with fresh basil leaves and a splash of pasta water
6. Simmer for few minutes, tossing occasionally to let the flavors come together. Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and it's ready to serve!

Tips and Tricks

1. High quality and seasonal ingredients are key! As the pasta sauce is super simple, the quality of the ingredients makes a huge difference so it's best to use seasonal tomatoes and good quality ingredients
2. Use the back of a wooden spoon to gently press down on some of the tomatoes whilst cooking. This releases some of their juices, but make sure to keep some still intact 
3. Always cook the pasta for a couple of minutes under the package instructions, then finish the cooking time in the sauce. This will make it taste a million times better! 
4. Save some pasta water and add it to the sauce when needed. This creates a beautiful silky and creamy sauce due to the starchy water 
5. You can also add a pinch of sugar to the sauce if it is too acidic for you which will help balance it out

Storage and Reheating

• Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days
• You can then reheat in a small pan over the stovetop for a few minutes with a splash of water which will help revive the sauce. You can also reheat in the microwave, but it will dry the sauce out a little
• Technically you can freeze this dish for 1-2 months, however I wouldn't recommend freezing as you won't have the same flavor or texture. You can however freeze the sauce for up to 2 months and add to freshly cooked pasta

FAQs

More Quick Pastas

• Broccoli Pasta
• Pasta with Peas
• Pastina - Italian Comfort Food
• Baked Feta Pasta
• Lemon Garlic Pasta (Pasta Al Limone)
• Mushroom Carbonara
• Burrata Pasta
• Miso Pasta
• Spaghetti Alla Puttanesca

I love seeing your creations and remakes, so be sure to rate the recipe, comment and share your Cherry Tomato Pasta photo on Instagram so I can share the love!

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