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This Cherry Tomato Pasta comes together in less than twenty minutes. The cherry tomatoes are cooked in olive oil, onion and garlic until softened and juicy. Toss it with pasta for an easy weeknight meal. And pair it with an aperol spritz and caesar salad for most delicious dinner.
I love an easy pasta. It’s usually my go-to to whip up dishes like my pasta al limone, pasta alla nerano or this delicious cherry tomato pasta.
Ingredients You’ll Need for Cherry Tomato Pasta
- Cherry Tomatoes. You can use all red or all yellow (often times called sungolds. similar to my Shrimp Scampi with sungolds).
- Onion. In the summer I love to use Vidalia onions because they’re sweet and delicious but alternatively a shallot or yellow onion will also work.
- Garlic. We need some garlic to give it a nice bite.
- Fresh basil. I love adding fresh herbs like basil; it adds a delightful freshness.
- Spaghetti. I love using a noodle and spaghetti fits the bill.
For the rest of the ingredients, please see the recipe index card below!
How to Make Cherry Tomato Pasta
- Warm up the olive oil. Add the minced onions and cook them until they’re super softened and melted. This may seem like TOO much olive oil but this is going to create a base for the sauce.
- Then, add the cherry tomatoes, garlic and crushed red pepper. I like to cook these cherry tomatoes, covered, for 5 minutes. This will soften them and release all of their juices.
- Next, uncover the pot, and cook for another 10 minutes. This will thicken the tomatoes. Give it a taste and add more salt, if you like.
- At this time, I like to turn off the heat for the sauce and cook the pasta.
- Be sure to reserve about 1/3 cup of pasta water. Add it to the sauce and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Add the cooked pasta, butter and fresh basil to the cherry tomatoes. Mix it vigorously for about 2 minutes. This will really make it saucy and combined.
- Plate it up and top it with a bit of Parmesan-Reggiano, crushed red pepper and some fresh basil.
Recipe Tip
- Fresh cherry tomatoes of the yellow AND red variety are a good combination because the yellow is more tart and bright, while the red tomatoes are more sweet.
- Pasta water is your friend. This starch water is a necessary addition with all pasta dishes, in my opinion. It thickens the sauce in the most perfect way.
- Bronze Die Pasta. When buying pasta, look for “bronze-die.” While this pasta is always a few dollars more, it means that the pasta is extruded with a bronze extruder. This means that your pasta water will be more starchy and flavorful. And the exterior of the pasta will be ashy and rough – resulting in the pasta sauce adhering to it easier.
Recipe FAQs
Absolutely. I would simply chop up vine ripe tomatoes or beef steak tomatoes. And then proceed with the recipe.
Sure. I think cubed chicken or shrimp would be really delicious to this cherry tomato pasta.
Grape tomatoes usually have thicker skin than cherry tomatoes, which tend to be smaller with thinner skin and juicier! You can absolutely use grape tomatoes, if you can’t find cherry tomatoes.
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Cherry Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1 small onion , peeled and finely diced
- Kosher salt
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 22 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 pound spaghetti, (or pasta of choice)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 handful of basil leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a large pan, set over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the olive oil is warm, add the diced Vidalia onions and few generous pinches of salt. Give it a mix and let them cook, covered, for 7 minutes. You really want the diced onions to melt in the pan with the olive oil. I like to make sure the heat is low enough so they slowly cook and don’t brown or burn.
- Next, add the minced garlic, crushed red pepper flakes and cherry tomatoes. Cook for an additional 5 minutes, covered, until the tomatoes are softened and have released a lot of their juices. Uncover and cook for an additional 5 to 7 minutes, until it thickens. Turn off the heat while we make the pasta.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your pasta until al dente. I usually cook it about 1 minute before al dente because I like to finish cooking the pasta in the pan with the sauce. Reserve about 3/4 cup of pasta water. Drain the pasta and turn your attention to the pan with the cherry tomatoes.
- To the sauce, add about 1/2 cup of pasta water and bring it to a rapid simmer. Cook for about 2 minutes; give it a taste and adjust the salt to taste. I added a few more pinches of salt. Add the pasta in, along with the butter and toss together for about a minute, until completely combined.
Notes
- Fresh cherry tomatoes of the yellow AND red variety are a good combination because the yellow is more tart and bright, while the red tomatoes are more sweet.
- Pasta water is your friend. This starch water is a necessary addition with all pasta dishes, in my opinion. It thickens the sauce in the most perfect way.
- When buying pasta, look for “bronze-die.” While this pasta is always a few dollars more, it means that the pasta is extruded with a bronze extruder. This means that your pasta water will be more starchy and flavorful. And the exterior of the pasta will be ashy and rough – resulting in the pasta sauce adhering to it easier.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
*This recipe was first published on June 29th, 2020. The copy has since been updated.
Favorite vegetarian pasta dish! So so good and rich without any dairy!
This pasta is delicious! So much flavor (even without the fresh basil — I didn’t have any on hand)! My family loved it. Thank you!
Super easy dinner! it’s delicious and refreshing a winning combo ❤️
The Vadalia Onion looks cool! I’ve never really cared about choosing the onion brand as long as they look fresh and good! Thanks for the recipe and recommendation.