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Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce

cherry pasta pasta sauce on a blue floral plate
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This cherry tomato pasta sauce is the simplest yet most delicious pasta ever. I would really recommend the toasted breadcrumbs and burrata on top but they are optional. The cherry tomato sauce alone is so good.

Ingredients

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For the sauce

  • 1 shallot finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 500g cherry tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tsp butter (optional)
  • 1 bunch of basil, stems and leaves separated
  • Salt and pepper

To serve:

  • 200g pasta of your choice (I used casarecce)
  • Burrata
  • Parmesan
  • Toasted breadcrumbs (I just whizz a bit of bread up in the food processor and then fry in a little olive oil until golden and crispy. Sprinkle with a little Maldon salt and fresh pepper)

Instructions

  1. Sweat the onion in the olive oil until very soft. About 5 minutes.
  2.  Once the onions are soft, get your pasta on to cook in boiling salty water. Undercook it by a few minutes as you will finish cooking it in the sauce at the end and you don’t want it over cooked.
  3.  Then add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds before adding the cherry tomatoes and tomato paste. Season well. And add the basil stalks - add them whole and you can scoop them out later. Cook on high for a few minutes until the tomatoes begin to burst. Smoosh them with the back of your spoon to encourage them to burst.
  4.  Add a ladle of pasta cooking water. And keep adding it as you see fit. You want a thick sauce, not soup, so don’t add too much.
  5. Keep stirring to encourage the tomatoes to disintegrate into the sauce. Scoop out the basil stems, and add the balsamic vinegar.
  6. Drain the pasta, keeping some of the pasta cooking water set aside in case you need it.  Add the pasta to the sauce, and add the butter if you’re using it. Toss it all together. Cook for a minute or so until the pasta is cooked. Add more pasta water if you think it needs it. Taste for seasoning. Sprinkle over the fresh basil, scoop into bowls.
  7.  Top with burrata if using. Definitely add more Parmesan and fresh basil leaves. And you can add a sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs for a little crunch. So delicious!

Equipment

Find it online: https://desertislanddishes.co/cherry-tomato-pasta-sauce/