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Pasta with cherry tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, and fresh basil is an easy 5-ingredient vegetarian dinner that’s ready from start to finish in about 20 minutes! It’s the perfect summer meal when you don’t feel like cooking, as the simple recipe let’s summer’s produce shine. Garnish the pasta and burst cherry tomato sauce with Parmesan cheese, and serve each bowl with a crisp green salad and a loaf of crusty bread.
Pasta Sauce with Cherry Tomatoes
Did you know that you can take your tastebuds on an Italian vacation — without leaving the comfort of your own home? With the freshest, ripest, juiciest cherry tomatoes, fruity, robust olive oil, garlic, and fresh basil, this pasta with cherry tomatoes will convince your mind, body, and soul that you’re relaxing in a small Venetian café, sipping on a glass of wine, and enjoying a beautiful summer sunset. Doesn’t that sound dreamy?!
The meal is ideal for those warm evenings when you’d rather not fuss with a hot grill, and you definitely don’t want to turn on the oven. It’s fast, flavorful, healthy, and a rustic dish that the whole family will love. Pair it with a simple salad of mixed greens tossed in balsamic vinaigrette, as well as a crusty baguette, and life is good!
Ingredients
This is just a quick overview of the ingredients that you’ll need for a batch of the best pasta sauce with cherry tomatoes. As always, specific measurements and complete step-by-step cooking instructions are included in the printable recipe box at the bottom of the post.
- Pasta: I used a short, twisty pasta called gemelli here, but 16 ounces of just about any pasta will work. You can use other short shapes like penne or rotini, or try a long pasta like spaghetti, angel hair, or linguine.
- Extra virgin olive oil: using a high-quality extra-virgin olive oil contributes the most fruity, robust, and authentic flavor to the sauce.
- Garlic: for aromatic flavor. You’ll need at least one large clove or two small garlic cloves, but you can certainly add more for a stronger flavor.
- Sweet cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes: sweet and juicy, you don’t even need to cut the tomatoes before cooking them in the sauce! You’ll need a couple of pints of tomatoes for this dish, but fewer will also work.
- Fresh basil: a classic companion with summer tomatoes. Feel free to add other fresh herbs as well, such as oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary, or chives.
You’ll also need some kosher salt, ground black pepper, and grated Parmesan cheese to finish the dish!
Are grape or cherry tomatoes better in pasta?
Either grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes will work well in this pasta dish, so pick whichever variety is readily available. These small, sweet tomatoes add great flavor to the sauce, don’t contain large seeds, and burst in the skillet to form a delicious sauce.
How do you cut grape tomatoes for pasta?
You don’t! For this easy recipe, you don’t even cut the tomatoes before adding them to the pan. The heat of the skillet will soften the tomatoes until they burst, releasing their sweet juices and making a flavorful sauce.
How to Make Pasta Sauce with Cherry Tomatoes
It doesn’t get much easier than this weeknight vegetarian pasta! Get the water boiling first, since that’s probably the most time-consuming task in this whole process…
- Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water according to package directions for al dente. Drain.
- While the pasta cooks, saute the garlic in olive oil for about 2 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon constantly so that the garlic doesn’t burn.
- Add the tomatoes to the pan. Cook over low heat for about 5-6 minutes, or until some of the tomatoes have burst. Turn off the heat.
- Stir in the cooked pasta, then toss to coat everything in the flavorful olive oil sauce.
- Season with plenty of salt and lots of black pepper. You might also like to season with a little bit of sugar, depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes. Sugar balances the acidity in the tomatoes.
- Stir in the basil, and drizzle with extra olive oil, if necessary.
- Serve in individual bowls and sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese or pecorino and extra fresh leaves basil, if desired.
What to Serve with this Cherry Tomato Pasta Recipe
Pair the fresh, Italian-inspired dish with any of these easy sides. You can never go wrong with bread and more vegetables!
- Garlic breadsticks, garlic bread, homemade focaccia, baguette, or a crusty loaf of no-knead Dutch oven bread
- Green salad with red wine vinaigrette, salad tossed with balsamic vinaigrette, greens with Dijon vinaigrette, or Caesar salad
- Roasted broccoli or asparagus
- Sauteed asparagus
- 2-ingredient Italian sugar snap peas
- Sauteed spinach with garlic
- Sauteed zucchini
- 3-ingredient roasted yellow squash
- Parmesan roasted cauliflower
Storage
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish, as the pasta will have a gummy, mushy texture when thawed.
How to Reheat
Reheat the pasta and sauce gently over low heat in a skillet on the stovetop. You’ll likely need to add some extra olive oil or a couple of pats of butter to loosen up the sauce as it warms through.
Recipe Variations for Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta
- Add ground Italian sausage, ground beef, ground pork, or ground turkey to make it a heartier meat sauce.
- Use a variety of fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, chives, and parsley. Whatever your family loves will work! Garnish each bowl with additional basil sprigs, if desired.
- This kid-friendly sauce is made without wine. If you like a richer, bolder flavor, add ¼ cup of white wine to the sauce. You may need to simmer the sauce a bit longer to let it reduce.
- A splash of balsamic vinegar gives the sauce a nice acidic bite.
- For a briny addition, stir in some capers or olives.
- Add a minced shallot to the pan with the olive oil for a mild onion flavor.
- Reserve some of the starchy, salty pasta water and use a little bit of the liquid to loosen and thin the sauce, as necessary.
Tips for the Best Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes Recipe
- Add plenty of salt to the pot of water, since this is your opportunity to season the noodles.
- Use high-quality extra virgin olive oil and flavorful, ripe summer tomatoes, since the olive oil and tomatoes form the base of the sauce.
- Just about any pasta shape will work here. I’ve shown gemelli, but you can substitute other short pastas like penne or rotini, or try longer options like spaghetti, linguine, or angel hair.
- Depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes, you may need to season the sauce with a pinch of sugar. The sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes, giving the sauce a greater depth of flavor.
- If the pasta absorbs a lot of the sauce and seems too dry, just drizzle with extra olive oil at the end or stir in a couple of pats of butter until they melt. You can also stir in some reserved salty, starchy pasta water.
- Once the sauce is finished, adjust seasonings and spices to suit your tastes. Add salt, pepper, or additional herbs. If you like a spicy pasta, add crushed red pepper flakes or chili flakes.
What can I do with too many cherry tomatoes?
If you’ve got a garden full of fresh produce, here are some more delicious tomato recipes that will take advantage of the summer bounty:
- Tomato Salad with Basil and Balsamic
- Pasta with Corn, Bacon, Tomatoes, and Zucchini
- Sheet Pan Gnocchi with Italian Sausage
- Creamy Italian Pasta Salad
- Beef Shish Kabobs
- Summer Corn Salad
- Pork Medallions with Corn, Tomatoes, and Bacon
- Mexican Shrimp with Fresh Tomato Salad
- Greek Salad with Shrimp
- Succotash
- Steak Salad
- Antipasto Pasta Salad
- Creamy Chicken Primavera Pasta
Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 lb. box of dry pasta (I used gemelli here, but penne, rotini, spaghetti, linguine, angel hair, or other shapes will also work)
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling as necessary
- 1 large clove (or 2 small cloves) garlic, minced, grated, or pressed (about 1 teaspoon total)
- 1 lb. whole cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes
- ¼ cup chopped or torn fresh basil, plus extra to taste
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- Grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain.
- While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over low heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant, stirring constantly.
- Add the tomatoes to the olive oil and cook, stirring occasionally, over low heat for about 5-6 minutes (or until a few of the tomatoes have burst). Turn off the heat.
- Add the cooked, drained pasta to the tomatoes; toss to coat.
- Season with plenty of salt and ground black pepper, to taste. You might also like to add a pinch of sugar, depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes (the sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes). Stir in the basil. Drizzle with extra olive oil or add a couple of pats of butter if the pasta seems a little bit dry.
- Garnish individual servings with plenty of Parmesan cheese and extra fresh herbs, if desired.
Notes
- Add plenty of salt to the pot of water, since this is your opportunity to season the noodles.
- Use high-quality extra virgin olive oil and flavorful, ripe summer tomatoes, since the olive oil and tomatoes form the base of the sauce.
- Just about any pasta shape will work here. I’ve shown gemelli, but you can substitute other short pastas like penne or rotini, or try longer options like spaghetti, linguine, or angel hair.
- Depending on the sweetness of your tomatoes, you may need to season the sauce with a pinch of sugar. The sugar balances the acidity of the tomatoes, giving the sauce a greater depth of flavor.
- If the pasta absorbs a lot of the sauce and seems too dry, just drizzle with extra olive oil at the end or stir in a couple of pats of butter until they melt. You can also stir in some reserved salty, starchy pasta water.
- Once the sauce is finished, adjust seasonings and spices to suit your tastes. Add salt, pepper, or additional herbs. If you like a spicy pasta, add crushed red pepper flakes or chili flakes.
- Add ground Italian sausage, ground beef, ground pork, or ground turkey to make it a heartier meat sauce.
- Use a variety of fresh herbs, such as basil, thyme, oregano, rosemary, chives, and parsley. Whatever your family loves will work! Garnish each bowl with additional basil sprigs, if desired.
- This kid-friendly sauce is made without wine. If you like a richer, bolder flavor, add ¼ cup of white wine to the sauce. You may need to simmer the sauce a bit longer to let it reduce.
- A splash of balsamic vinegar gives the sauce a nice acidic bite.
- For a briny addition, stir in some capers or olives.
- Add a minced shallot to the pan with the olive oil for a mild onion flavor.
- Reserve some of the starchy, salty pasta water and use a little bit of the liquid to loosen and thin the sauce, as necessary.
