Burst Tomato Pasta

Ready in 20 minutes, this burst tomato pasta is an easy dinner recipe. I sauté a couple pints of cherry tomatoes with olive oil and garlic until they some wrinkle and become juicy while others break apart. Then I fold in spaghetti, Parmesan and fresh herbs.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This tomato pasta recipe is quick and easy. In season tomatoes just need a quick saute to boost their already good flavor. That’s why I make this for a vegetarian weeknight dinner.
• The prep time is minimal. The only work on your prep to-do list is to slice the garlic, chop the herbs and grate the Parmesan. I leave the tomatoes whole and let them cook down, which is what I also do for this tomato spinach pasta.
• You can cook tomatoes ahead of time. Reheat them on the stove, cook the pasta and stir everything together.
• The cooked cherry tomatoes are freezable. Pretty much all tomato-based pasta sauce is freezer-friendly. This is helpful for meal planning.

The Ingredients

This is what you need to make this tomato pasta:

• Cherry tomatoes are best because you don’t have to cut them. The heat in the pan is enough. You can also use grate tomatoes and a mix of colors.
• Spaghetti: I prefer a long pasta shape for this recipe. Fettuccine, bucatini or tagliatelle are also good options.
• Garlic: We are big on garlic at our house, so I slice 3 garlic cloves for this recipe. You can see the slices throughout the spaghetti. 
• Parmesan: I use a vegetable peeler to cut thin shavings of Parmesan cheese. Then you really taste them when they end up in a bite.
• Red pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper season the pasta. It’s impossible for me to make a tomato dish and not include red pepper flakes for a touch of heat.
• Fresh herbs: Once I have the pasta divided onto plates or into bowls to serve, I sprinkle on chopped herbs like fresh basil, parsley or chives. It’s whatever I have in my kitchen.

How To Make Burst Tomato Pasta

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Follow the recommended cook time on the package instructions. Then drain it in a strainer, and toss it with a splash of olive oil in a bowl, so it doesn’t stick together.

1. Start sautéing the tomatoes. Heat olive oil in a big skillet over medium heat and carefully add the tomatoes. As they cook, stir them around, so they are all getting heat. After a few minutes, some of the skins will start to split. To give the tomatoes a nudge to burst, I gently push them down with the back of a wooden spoon as necessary. A potato masher will also work to do this.

2. Add the sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Keep cooking and stirring for a few more minutes. By now the tomatoes should have released their juices and be turning kind of saucy.

3. Fold the cooked pasta into the tomatoes. Do this carefully and slowly. The tomatoes will be hot, and you want to make sure the pasta is well coated.

4. Stir in the shaved parmesan Divide the pasta into bowls or onto plates and top with fresh herbs.

Serving

You can serve this cherry tomato pasta with a lemon arugula salad or a classic house salad. For a vegetable side dish, try this parmesan roasted zucchini. Bread with a good crust is good to sop up all tomato sauce on the plate. 

Recipe Tips

• Use ripe tomatoes. Simple recipes with less than 10 ingredients only turn out as good as the ingredients you start with, so it’s important to have quality tomatoes.
• You can overlap the cooking of the pasta and the tomatoes. The timing of the pasta is more sensitive. You can always pull the tomatoes off the burner if they are ready before the spaghetti.I like to use tongs to transfer the pasta to the skillet with the tomatoes.
• Don’t overcook the pasta. Double check the recommended cook time on the package. The pasta should be al dente and have some bite to it.
• The recipe calls for shaved Parmesan. You can use a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife to cut those thin slices.It’s also ok to grate the cheese.
• Taste the pasta before you serve it. Then you can add more salt or pepper as needed. It’s a great idea to even taste the tomatoes before you add the spaghetti and see if you want to adjust the seasonings then. Once you plate the pasta, you can also add a drizzle of olive oil.