Quick & Simple Pasta Recipe with Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce

Craving a delicious pasta dish but short on time? Look no further than this quick and easy blistered cherry tomato sauce pasta! With just a handful of ingredients and 10 minutes of your time, you can create a mouthwatering meal that rivals any slow-cooked sauce.

The secret to this recipe’s success lies in the star ingredient: cherry tomatoes. These little flavor bombs pack a punch with their natural sweetness and high pectin content, making them ideal for creating a rich, thick sauce in no time flat. As they burst and release their juices, they mingle with fragrant garlic and olive oil to form a luxurious coating for your pasta.

Not only is this dish incredibly tasty, but it’s also versatile. Whether you’re using peak-season cherry tomatoes from your garden or supermarket varieties available year-round, you’ll achieve fantastic results. The simplicity of the ingredients allows the natural flavors to shine through, creating a harmonious balance that will have your taste buds dancing.

Ingredients

• 1 pound (450g) dry pasta
• Kosher salt
• 4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 6 tablespoons (90ml) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes (about 2 pints; 675g)
• 1 ounce fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped (about 1 cup; 30g)
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Parmesan cheese, for serving

Directions

1. Begin by placing the pasta in a large skillet or sauté pan. Cover with water and add a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook until just shy of al dente, about 1 minute less than the package instructions recommend.
2. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce. In a 12-inch skillet, heat the garlic and 4 tablespoons (60ml) of olive oil over medium heat. Stir frequently until the garlic softens but doesn’t brown, about 3 minutes. This process infuses the oil with a delicious garlic flavor.
3. Add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally. As they heat up, the tomatoes will start to burst. You can help this process along by gently pressing them with the back of a wooden spoon. Continue cooking for about 10 minutes, until most of the tomatoes have released their juices.
4. Keep cooking the sauce for another 5 minutes or so, until it becomes rich and creamy. The natural pectin in the tomatoes will help thicken the sauce beautifully. Stir in the chopped basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving 1 cup (240ml) of the starchy pasta water. Add the pasta to the sauce and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring and tossing constantly, adding reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a creamy consistency.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons (30ml) of olive oil. Grate a generous amount of Parmesan cheese over the pasta and toss to combine.
7. Serve immediately, passing extra Parmesan at the table for those who crave an extra cheesy kick. Enjoy your restaurant-quality pasta dish, made in the comfort of your own kitchen!

Notes

While this recipe calls for cherry tomatoes, you can easily substitute them with grape tomatoes if that’s what you have on hand. Both varieties will yield delicious results. The key is to use small, sweet tomatoes that will burst easily and create a luscious sauce.

Don’t be afraid to experiment with different herbs! While basil is a classic pairing with tomatoes, you could try using parsley, thyme, or a combination of herbs to create your own unique flavor profile.

For a fun twist, try using different pasta shapes. While long noodles like spaghetti or linguine work wonderfully, shorter shapes like fusilli or penne can be great for catching little bits of burst tomato in their nooks and crannies.

The Science Behind the Sauce

Ever wonder why cherry tomatoes make such a great quick sauce? It’s all thanks to the square-cube law! As objects get smaller, they become tougher for their size because their mass increases more slowly than their surface area. This means cherry tomatoes can be picked when they’re riper, resulting in better flavor and higher sugar content compared to their larger counterparts.