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This Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta is a quintessential summer dinner using the seasons best offerings. This easy pasta dish takes under 30 minutes to cook and is bursting with flavor.
Summer is all about those easy, breezy dinners, and I have one here for you with this Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta recipe. Just imagine running out to your garden to pick some fresh cherry tomatoes and basil, pouring yourself a glass of wine and whipping up this delicious pasta dinner while the sun streams through the windows. Sounds delightful, right? Listen, even if you don’t have a garden and your kids are running around like feral cats (or is that just mine?), you can still achieve that same breezy summer evening feeling. All you need are a few simple ingredients and about 20 minutes.
Ingredients for Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta
Start with fresh ingredients – since this vegetarian pasta dish has just a few ingredients, you want them to be good. This will always be better with fresh, in season cherry tomatoes, either grown in your own garden, picked up at the farmers market, or when in season at the grocery store. The same goes for the fresh basil. I also recommend using a block of parmesan cheese that you grate yourself using a microplane – it will be much better than the stuff you buy already grated
- Pasta – I used Bucatini, but use whatever pasta shape you want.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – the base of the sauce, and allows flavors to bloom.
- Garlic cloves – smashed. Just take the side of a knife and give them a whack. This will allow them to release their flavor into the oil without becoming too sharp and bitter.
- Cherry tomatoes – in season is best!
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes – 1/2 a teaspoon or more if you like it spicy!
- Fresh basil leaves – chop or tear them up if they are large.
- Kosher salt – well seasoned sauce is important here!
- Fresh Grated Parmesan – finely grated so it can melt into the sauce. Use a microplane and hunk of parmesan cheese rather than buying pre grated.
- Freshy Ground Pepper – optional, to taste.
How to make burst cherry tomato sauce
- First, bring 4 quarts of well salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, heat a medium sauce pan over low heat. Add olive oil and smashed garlic cloves. Cook until garlic is fragrant and starting to soften.
- Add the tomatoes, salt, and red pepper flakes. Increase the heat to medium and stir to combine.
- Continue to cook, stirring frequently. Tomatoes will start to burst. As you stir, use the back of a wooden spoon to crush some of the tomatoes. After about 10 minutes, sauce should have started to thicken. Continue to crush tomatoes with a spoon or use a potato masher.
- Pour sauce over pasta, add parmesan cheese. Stir to coat in sauce, cheese should melt into the sauce. Stir in basil leaves. Divide among individual bowls and garnish with more parmesan cheese and black pepper if desired.
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Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz. uncooked pasta
- ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves smashed
- 1.5 lbs cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup basil leaves
- 1½ tsp. kosher salt
- 1 oz. fresh grated Parmesan about ⅓ cup, plus more for serving
- freshy ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package instructions, drain and drizzle with a little olive oil. Set aside until sauce is ready.
- Heat a medium sauce pan over low heat. Add olive oil and smashed garlic cloves. Cook until garlic is fragrant, do not let garlic brown.
- When garlic is fragrant and starting to soften, add the tomatoes, salt, and red pepper flakes. Increase the heat to medium and stir to combine.
- Continue to cook, stirring frequently. Tomatoes will start to burst. As you stir, use the back of a wooden spoon to crush some of the tomatoes. After about 10 minutes, sauce should have started to thicken. Continue to crush tomatoes with a spoon or use a potato masher.
- Pour sauce over pasta, add parmesan cheese. Stir to coat in sauce, cheese should melt into the sauce. Stir in basil leaves. Divide among individual bowls and garnish with more parmesan cheese and black pepper if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
