Cherry Tomato Pasta is bright, buttery, and packed with flavor; a quick and easy dinner made from scratch with simple ingredients. It looks gourmet, but it comes together in under 30 minutes with minimal hands-on prep time.
This dreamy pasta is cloaked in a light, garlic-butter sauce speckled with bright, juicy cherry tomatoes. Then, it's topped with basil, extra Parmesan, and red pepper flakes for an extra special touch. It's the perfect dinner for weeknight dinners and easy entertaining.
Table of Contents
Why This Recipe Works
With over a decade of developing comforting, foolproof recipes perfectly suited for the family dinner table and weeknight cooking, turning simple ingredients into something positively crave worthy has become our specialty.
This Cherry Tomato Pasta recipe has been tested, devoured, and received with the family stamp of approval. If you're looking for a quick pasta dinner with wholesome ingredients that delivers flawless results every single time, this is the one.
Roasted Tomatoes | The dish is made extra special thanks to our secret weapon: roasted cherry tomatoes. Sending the tomatoes to the oven for a mere 20 minutes concentrates their sweetness, giving them a richer, deeper flavor. It's like the quick-fix cousin of tomato confit — we're talking gourmet flavors fast!
Simple Ingredients | We kept this ingredient list as minimal as possible, making sure every ingredient served a purpose. This allows the tomatoes and pasta sauce to shine while keeping it budget-friendly and extra easy on you.
Quick + Easy | While the tomatoes cook, the pasta boils, and then it all comes together for a gorgeous pasta dish that takes less than 30 minutes but tastes completely gourmet.
Speaking of easy, if you need an easy button for your next spaghetti night, give our Weeknight Italian Marinara a try. It's a hit with the kids while keeping your kitchen minutes low!
Ingredients + Substitutions
Cherry Tomatoes | This is the star of the show, adding a pop of acidity and fresh tomato flavor to each and every bite. You can also use grape tomatoes or any variety of small tomatoes for this recipe. For another light, tomatoey pasta dish, check out Shrimp and Pasta.
Pasta | You can use spaghetti or linguine for this dish--perfect for twirling in this cherry tomato pasta's light, silky sauce.
Olive Oil + Butter | Butter adds great flavor and a silky finish to the sauce but is likely to burn on its own. Adding olive oil not only creates a great flavor profile but also keeps the smoke point lower, preventing the butter from burning. Avocado oil can be used as a substitute for olive oil if needed.
Pasta Water | Whatever you do, do not throw out the pasta water. It's an integral part of the sauce. The starch from the pasta water helps to emulsify the butter and oil into a pasta sauce that clings beautifully to the noodles. If you forget to set aside the pasta water, use warm water in its place. You won't get the same silky results, but you also don't have to start over from scratch.
Garlic | Garlic adds a savory warmth to this pasta dish, giving it its deeply comforting flavor profile, without making the dish feel too heavy.
Lemon | The lemon brightens up the pasta sauce and cuts through its richness. A splash of white wine would be a fine substitute here. We love this combo in so many of our lighter pasta dishes, especially Chicken Primavera!
Parmesan | A beloved Italian ingredient for adding nutty, umami flavor to pasta dishes. Think Alfredo sauce, but much lighter. It's also responsible for thickening up the pasta sauce, leaving you with a velvety, rich sauce. Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano would also work in the place of Parm.
Basil | This ingredient is a classic pairing with tomatoes. Fresh, sweet, and just a touch peppery, its complex flavor profile makes quite a difference. If you don't enjoy the flavor of basil, you could add a generous pinch of chopped parsley, which would add fresh flavor and great color to the dish.
Crushed Red Pepper | Another optional ingredient, but one that will enhance your dish. It livens up the sauce, adding the perfect touch of heat.
How Make Cherry Tomato Pasta
Prep the Tomatoes | Preheat the oven to 400°F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Roast the Tomatoes | Roast for 20 minutes or until blistered. Set aside and keep warm.
Cook the Pasta | Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
Make the Sauce | While the pasta cooks, heat the oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the sliced garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add the lemon juice, salt, and a splash of pasta water to the pan.
Combine Pasta + Sauce | Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat.
Then, add more pasta water ¼ cup at a time, stirring after each addition. Continue doing this until the sauce lightly clings to the noodles. Stir in about ⅓ cup of Parmesan.
Add Tomatoes + Remaining Ingredients | Add the warm roasted cherry tomatoes on top, along with garlic and juices from the pan. Top with fresh basil, red pepper flakes, remaining Parmesan, and black pepper, and gently mix in the added ingredients.
What to Serve with Cherry Tomato Pasta
Pick your favorite protein and add it to this gourmet pasta dish to create a well-rounded Italian dish that the family will beg for seconds of. Oven-baked or pan-seared chicken are our go-tos for quick-cooking poultry recipes or slam out some stovetop shrimp in just minutes.
To continue to elevate the fancy vibes of this dish, opt for Lemon Garlic Salmon, lobster tails, or the classic filet mignon--all perfect for date night at home.
For the sides, start with something green: a Caesar salad, house salad, or burrata salad. Then, head on over to your starchy recipe plan, but keep this simple. Think slices of toasted baguette or French bread, Texas Toast, or homemade garlic bread.
Cherry Tomato Pasta pairs perfectly with a dry white wine, a light red, or a sparkling rosé, especially when served in the summer months.
Storage + Reheating
Pasta is best served fresh. There's really no way to make the sauce ahead and add the pasta later. You want it all to come together at once. That said, it still reheats beautifully and tastes delicious the next day (and even the next!)
This pasta will keep for up to three days refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave at 30-45 second intervals. Feel free to add a splash of warm water and stir to thin out the pasta sauce as needed. We do not recommend freezing leftovers of this dish.
5 More Easy Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
Cherry Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
FOR THE TOMATOES:
- 2 pints (about 4 cups) cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed and halved
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE PASTA:
- 12 oz spaghetti or linguine
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt plus more for pasta water
- Juice of half a lemon
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- ⅓ cup torn fresh basil leaves
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
Instructions
ROAST THE TOMATOES
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the cherry tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until blistered. Set aside and keep warm.
COOK THE PASTA
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain.
MAKE THE SAUCE
- While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add sliced garlic and sauté about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Add lemon juice, salt, and a splash of pasta water to the pan.
COMBINE PASTA AND SAUCE
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to coat.
- Add more pasta water a scant ¼ cup a time, stirring after each addition. Continue doing this until the sauce lightly clings to the noodles. Stir in about ⅓ cup Parmesan.
- Add the warm roasted cherry tomatoes on top, along with garlic and the juices from the pan. Top with fresh basil, red pepper flakes, remaining Parmesan, and black pepper, and gently stir to combine.
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