Cherry Tomato Pasta

This creamy cherry tomato pasta is coated in a delicious sauce made with juicy tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and fresh basil.

The recipe is simple, quick, and satisfying. In about 30 minutes, you can enjoy a satiating vegetarian dinner with beautiful Italian flavors.

Find the complete recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Pasta

We like to make cherry tomato pasta with spaghetti – here, we used squared spaghetti, which is slightly bigger than regular spaghetti, and have an incredible bite.

Other pasta shapes that work well are linguine, bucatini, bavette, paccheri, and rigatoni.

What’s most important here is that you use Italian pasta made with 100% durum wheat flour and cook it al dente, with a bite.

If you can find “bronze-cut” pasta, it’s even better because its rugged surface makes it easier for the sauce to stick.

For gluten-free, substitute gluten-free pasta for durum wheat pasta.

Cherry tomatoes

We recommend cherry tomatoes or plum tomatoes.

We combined small cherry tomatoes with golden or yellow plum tomatoes to add extra sweetness.

Substitute canned or bottled cherry tomatoes for fresh ones.

Olive oil

We recommend extra virgin olive oil to make the sauce.

Garlic

Fresh garlic is a must here.

Salt and Pepper

We recommend sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Red pepper flakes

Optional to add a touch of heat to the dish.

Fresh basil

Fresh basil is lovely with the cherry tomato pasta sauce, and we recommend not substituting other fresh herbs.

Parmesan cheese

Grated parmesan cheese adds a savory taste and a creamy texture.

Substitute pecorino romano or ricotta salata for parmesan.

For vegans, you can use a vegan parmesan alternative or another vegan cheese suitable for pasta.

Burrata

Burrata cheese is an optional ingredient. Serve this pasta to guests, and add a sliced-open burrata on top to make it a satisfying meal.

You can substitute small mozzarella balls for burrata.

Start by boiling a large pot of water and cutting the cherry tomatoes in half.

When the water is boiling, season it with salt and add the pasta.

Boil the pasta as per package instructions minus 3 minutes.

In a large skillet, heat the extra virgin olive oil. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and season them with salt, black pepper, pressed or grated garlic, and red pepper flakes.

Cook on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes or until the pasta is ready. Stir occasionally.

Note: the medium-high heat allows the tomatoes to burst and release their juices in a short cooking time.

Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, drain the pasta and add it to the sauce.

Add about 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and fresh basil leaves, and finish cooking the pasta in the sauce on medium heat while stirring for a couple of minutes.

The pasta should be al dente, with a bite. Add more pasta water if necessary.

Turn the heat off, add the grated parmesan cheese, and stir until the cheese melts and makes the sauce creamy.

Serve the pasta immediately in a bowl, topping it with the cherry tomato sauce, fresh basil leaves, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

For special occasions (or when we feel like extra vegetarian protein), we serve it with creamy burrata cheese on top.

Pasta Pomodoro

Pasta pomodoro is a similar recipe to cherry tomato pasta, but it uses whole canned peeled tomatoes instead of fresh cherry tomatoes.

Make ahead: this is not a good recipe to make ahead as the pasta will overcook and the sauce will dry. Make it and eat it.

Refrigerator: keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 24 hours.

Reheat: warm it on a pan with a drizzle of olive oil or in the microwave for 60 – 90 seconds.

Freezer: pasta with cherry tomatoes is not suitable for freezing.

CHERRY TOMATO RECIPES: Tomato confit, tomato galette, tomato salad, Bruschetta, chickpea salad, tomato risotto.

Starters

Tomato Confit

Pasta

Paccheri Pasta

Pasta

Red Pepper Pasta

Salads

Tomato Salad

For many more pasta ideas, check out our pasta category page.