Try this amazing cherry tomato pasta with fresh, juicy, plump cherry tomatoes. It takes just minutes to make, needs a handful of ingredients and is loaded with flavor! Watch the video for step-by-step instructions.
The weather is beginning to bite here, but I still have a few cherry tomatoes coming in from the garden. This cherry tomato pasta is one of my favorite pasta dinner recipes to make with them while they are fresh, plump, juicy and full of flavor.
Cherry tomatoes are great in pasta sauces, like this yummy linguini fini with a no-cook cherry tomato sauce. The cherry tomato pasta sauce I have for you here requires some cooking, but it’s a very simple, one-pot recipe that will work nicely for a weeknight dinner.
The cherry tomatoes, which cook up soft and sweet but mostly hold their shape, look so good in the thick sauce, and they deliver juicy little bursts of deliciousness as you eat the pasta.
You can make the pasta sauce and eat it now. Or, just as with my homemade tomato sauce, store it in the freezer or can it for use over the winter. When you are ready to eat it a few weeks from now, just toss the sauce with freshly cooked pasta, then curl up with a bowl in front of the fireplace (or TV). You — and your family — will be so, so happy you made it.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this cherry tomato pasta
- Family-friendly recipe. This is the kind of dinner recipe that brings everyone to the table. The sauce is enough for a pound of spaghetti or angel hair pasta. You can sprinkle some vegan parmesan cheese over it for even more yum!
- Easy sauce. The pasta sauce is so simple to make and it doesn’t take too much time, which makes it perfect for a weeknight dinner.
- Flavorful. The cumin and herbs add deep richness to the cherry tomato pasta sauce, making it taste complex and full of flavor despite the short ingredient list and cooking time.
- Suited to all diets. The recipe is nut-free and vegan. Skip the optional soy sauce to keep the sauce soy-free, and use gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free dinner.
Ingredients
- Fresh cherry tomatoes. Fresh cherry tomatoes have so much flavor, which is in large part the reason why you don’t need too many other ingredients to add deliciousness to this recipe. You can use cherry tomatoes of any color in this pasta recipe.
- Extra virgin olive oil. Use a good glug of this heart-healthy oil to add more flavor and healthfulness to the sauce.
- Herbs: garlic, dried oregano, dried basil, and fresh parsley. You can also use fresh basil instead of parsley to garnish the sauce at the end of cooking.
- Spices: ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and ground cumin.
- Optional ingredient: Soy sauce or tamari. Just a half teaspoon disappears into the sauce but it adds amazing umami. You can leave it out if you are soy-free.
- Cooked pasta: Spaghetti or angel hair pasta are best with this sauce.
Watch how to make cherry tomato pasta
Expert tips
- If the sauce is too acidic for your liking, add a teaspoon of sugar to neutralize the acidity.
- Make sure you cook the pasta al dente before you add it to the hot sauce. Cooking it too soft will result in mushy pasta.
- Don’t add oil to pasta water. It’s tempting to do so in order to keep the strands separate, but the oil coating the pasta strands keeps them from absorbing the sauce.
Recipe FAQs
You can add a can of lentils or 14 oz of ground vegan meat to the sauce — do this right after sauteing the garlic and before you add the cherry tomatoes.
Absolutely! Swap out each teaspoon of dried herbs for a tablespoon of the fresh herbs.
A long pasta like spaghetti or angel hair pasta works best in this recipe because it holds on to the sauce. A ribbon pasta like fettuccine or linguini would be a decent substitute. You can also use spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles with this sauce to make a low-carb recipe.
Yes, either would work. Chop larger tomatoes in a ½-inch dice before adding to the pot.
Serving suggestions
Storage instructions
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. You can either store the sauce alone or the pasta with the sauce mixed in.
- Freeze: Freeze the sauce in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
- Reheat: Thaw and reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan. Cook pasta and mix the sauce in before serving.
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Cherry Tomato Pasta Recipe
Try this amazing cherry tomato pasta with fresh, juicy, plump cherry tomatoes. It takes just minutes to make, needs a handful of ingredients and is loaded with flavor!
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Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 290kcal
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Instructions
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Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain before using but reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water because you might need it later.
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While the water heats up for the pasta, place the garlic in a large skillet. Add olive oil. Turn heat to medium and saute the garlic a couple of minutes until it becomes very aromatic and begins to change color.
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Stir in the cherry tomatoes. Add the tomato paste and mix it in thoroughly, taking your time to do so.
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Add the cumin, dried oregano and dried basil, red pepper flakes, ground black pepper and salt. Mix in thoroughly.
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Cover the skillet and let the sauce cook 10 minutes. Stir frequently to ensure even cooking.
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At the end of 10 minutes, you should have a thick, rich pasta sauce because the tomatoes will have expressed their juices. You don’t need to mash the tomatoes, it’s nice to let some of them hold their shape so they look pretty in the sauce.
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Stir in the parsley and check seasoning. Add more salt and ground black pepper if needed. Stir in the cooked, drained pasta and mix it in. Add up to a quarter of a cup of the pasta cooking water if you want a saucier sauce. Turn off heat.
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Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Recipe notes
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. You can either store the sauce alone or the pasta with the sauce mixed in.
- Freeze: Freeze the sauce in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
- Reheat: Thaw and reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan. Cook pasta and mix the sauce in before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 290kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Sodium: 105mg | Potassium: 487mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 810IU | Vitamin C: 30mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2mg
