Cherry Tomato Pasta
This Cherry Tomato Pasta is so deliciously saucy featuring summer cherry tomatoes. Best part about this dish: it takes under 30 minutes to make!
Servings: 4
Cost: $9
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
Tips and Tricks:
- 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
Serving: 4g | Calories: 235kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 29mg | Potassium: 32mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 593IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 3mg