This is a quick and easy way to make tomato sauce from scratch using sweet ripe cherry tomatoes. You only need 5 ingredients for the cherry tomato sauce which bursts with sweetness. The best part is it only takes 15 minutes to bring this pasta dish together. Enjoy!
key ingredients for cherry tomato pasta
- Cherry Tomatoes: I prefer to use cherry tomatoes because they are sweeter, riper and higher in pectin than larger tomatoes which will help thicken the tomato sauce in a much shorter amount of time.
- Garlic
- Fresh Basil
- Parmesan
- Dry Pasta
key steps to making cherry tomato pasta
- Gently Cook the Garlic: In a cold pan, add a generous amount of olive oil and garlic slices. Then bring the heat to medium-low and gently cook the garlic until for about 2-3 minutes until they soften. This process will infuse the sweetness of the garlic into the olive oil. It’s really important not to burn the garlic here or you will end up with a bitter tomato sauce so make sure to keep a close eye on the pan.
- Cook the Cherry Tomatoes: Once the garlic has softened, add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and stir. Let the cherry tomatoes cook for about 8 minutes until they start to blister and soften. You can help speed up the process by gently pressing down on the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spatula. Once the cherry tomatoes have cooked through, add the basil and season the sauce with salt and pepper.
- Add the Pasta: I like to cook my pasta while the cherry tomatoes are cooking. Make sure to reserve about a cup of pasta water. Once the pasta is cooked al dente, add the pasta and reserved pasta water to the tomato sauce and increase the heat to high. Stir and toss the pasta vigorously until you get a creamier sauce texture. Then turn the heat off, add the parmesan and stir. Plate and serve immediately. That’s it!
5-Ingredient Easy Cherry Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- 4 large garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1/2 lb dry pasta spaghetti, bucatini, penne rigate
- 1 cup fresh basil roughly chopped
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt + pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil.
- In a cold skillet, heat 4 tbsp of olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Watch the skillet and stir frequently so that the garlic doesn't brown. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Then add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and let it cook for about 8 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir the tomatoes frequently and press down on the blistered tomatoes to help release the juices.
- While the cherry tomatoes are simmering, cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions. Make sure to reserve about a cup of pasta water and set aside.
- Once the tomatoes have softened, add the fresh basil and season with salt and pepper.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce and about 1/3 cup of pasta water and increase the heat to high. Stir and toss the pasta with the sauce vigorously until you get a creamy texture to the sauce. Then remove the skillet from the heat and add the Parmesan and 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil. Plate and garnish with more fresh basil and parmesan. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
