15 minute cherry tomato pasta is what summer dinners are made for! Sweet cherry tomatoes burst in olive oil and lots of garlic, creating the most delicious, slightly sweet and bright summery pasta.
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Pasta with cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil is one of my favorite go-to weeknight dinners when tomatoes are at their peak! You will always find me with pounds of tomatoes for roasted cherry tomato and garlic bruschetta or serving a simple caprese with burrata and a good hunk of crusty bread to dip into. There is truly nothing better!
🍅 Burst Tomatoes or Tomato Confit
You can go about this in two ways. One, you can heat a skillet over high heat, saute garlic in olive oil and add whole cherry tomatoes for a solid 10-15 minutes. The high heat will burst the tomatoes, creating a simple pan sauce. I also like to use a wooden spatula to gently press the tomatoes along.
Or, you can make tomato confit, which is essentially roasted tomatoes in lots of olive oil. I have a recipe for roasted tomatoes here that you can use as the sauce as well.
Either method works as long as you soften the sweet cherry tomatoes. Then top with loads of fresh basil, a good drizzle of olive oil, flaky sea salt and, optional, but highly recommended, a good grate of Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Highlights
- Cherry tomato pasta is a fantastic weeknight dinner and is done in less than 20 minutes!
- Cherry tomatoes are the star of the show and as they cook down, become even more sweet and "jammy".
- This tomato pasta recipe utilizes simple and fresh ingredients sautéed garlic and lots of fresh basil.
📋 Ingredients
- Linguine: This is one of my favorite pasta shapes but feel free to use other styles such as spaghetti, angel hair or penne rigate.
- Cherry Tomatoes: Look for cherry tomatoes on the vine with a deep color, which will be sweeter and more flavorful. If tomatoes are not at their peak, the cherry tomatoes will sweeten as they burst in the sauce.
- Garlic: Look for garlic cloves that are tightly packed without any green stems growing, which means it is a fresh garlic bulb.
- Olive Oil: Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil since this will be the base of the cherry tomato sauce.
- Basil: This is the time to use all of that beautiful fresh summer basil! The basil is added right towards the end to gently wilt in the warm tomato confit.
- Red Pepper Flakes: This is optional, but if you like a bit of spice, add a good pinch worth. Another option is added a dollop of Calabrian chilis which have great flavor.
- Parmesan: A good grating of Parmesan cheese right at the finish gives the whole pasta a slight saltiness and balances the sweet cherry tomatoes.
See recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
🍋 Substitutions and Variations
- Use any color cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes available.
- If cherry tomatoes are not available, substitue with Roma tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes that are cut into ½ inch cubes.
- Add pieces of tangy goat cheese or cubes of fried halloumi cheese to the tomato pasta.
⏲️ Instructions
- Cook the Linguine. Begin by boiling a pot of water for the pasta and season liberally with kosher salt. Cook linguini according to directions, until al dente. About 8-9 minutes.
- Saute the Garlic. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and saute for 30 seconds until just softened but color has not changed.
- Make the Cherry Tomato Sauce. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until tomatoes begin to burst. Use a wooden spoon to gently press on the tomatoes as they soften to help them burst. Season with salt and cook for about 10 minutes or until tomatoes have started to release their juices.
- Add Cooked Pasta to the Sauce. Once the pasta is done, add cooked pasta directly to tomatoes and toss to combine and stir in Parmesan cheese. If sauce is too dry, add a bit of pasta water and another good drizzle of olive oil.
- Garnish the Cherry Tomato Pasta. Roughly tear up some of the basil and add to pasta, tossing everything together, along with a pinch of red pepper flakes, drizzle of olive oil, sea salt and Parmesan cheese.
📍 Recipe Tips
- To help cherry tomatoes cook a bit quicker, place a lid over the skillet, which will also help retain any juices/liquid.
- Cook the pasta for 1-2 minutes less then the package directions, then finish cooking in the cherry tomato sauce.
- Save ½ cup of pasta water and if the sauce is too dry, add the starchy pasta water and stir to combine.
Recipe FAQs
You can make the tomato confit up to 3 days in advance and stir it into cooked pasta when ready to serve.
Cherry tomatoes are smaller and have a thinner peel, where grape tomatoes are a bit larger with a thicker peel. As they cook down, both tomatoes will become sweeter and more condensed.
Love Tomato Recipes, Try These!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
Cherry Tomato Pasta with Garlic and Lots of Basil
LittleFerraroKitchen.com
Ingredients
- 1 pound linguini
- Kosher salt
- ¼ cup olive oil + more for garnish
- 3-4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes any variety
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese + more for garnish
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves roughly torn
- Flaky sea salt for garnish
- Red pepper flakes optional, for heat
Instructions
- Begin by boiling a pot of water for the pasta and season liberally with kosher salt. Cook linguini according to directions, until al dente. About 8-9 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds until just softened but color has not changed.
- Add cherry tomatoes and cook until tomatoes begin to burst. Use a wooden spoon to gently press on the tomatoes as they soften to help them burst. Season with salt and cook for about 10 minutes or until tomatoes have started to release their juices.
- Once pasta is done, add cooked pasta directly to tomatoes and toss to combine and stir in Parmesan cheese. If sauce is too dry, add a bit of pasta water and another good drizzle of olive oil.
- Roughly tear up some of the basil and add to pasta, tossing everything together.
- Plate pasta with cherry tomatoes and top with fresh basil, red pepper flakes, drizzle of olive oil, sea salt and Parmesan cheese.
Notes
- To help cherry tomatoes cook a bit quicker, place a lid over the skillet, which will also help retain any juices/liquid.
- If you don't have cherry tomatoes, larger tomatoes will work well, just chop them into ½ inch cubes.
- Save ½ cup of pasta water and if the sauce is too dry, add the starchy pasta water and stir to combine.
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