What other pasta can I use?

You can use fresh or dried pasta for this recipe - just remember to adjust the quantity and cooking time (fresh pasta cooks much more quickly). You could swap the short pasta for spaghetti or bucatini, you want a fairly thin long pasta which will twirl around the delicious cherry tomato sauce.

What does ‘al dente’ mean?

Pasta recipes often ask for the pasta to be cooked ‘al dente’ which literally translates as ‘to the tooth’. This is the ideal consistency for pasta (and rice) which should be firm and have some bite - not too hard or chalky (which means it is undercooked) or mushy (which means it is overcooked). In some recipes, you cook just under al dente because the pasta will be reheated in a sauce and continue to cook a little more. In this recipe, the pasta is literally just tossed through the sauce with a little pasta water so you can take it to al dente.

What do I serve with this Cherry Tomato Pasta?

You don’t really need to serve anything with this recipe because it is a delicious balanced meal as it is. However, you could stir through some cooked chicken or prawns if you like for a bit of protein. Sautéed tender stem broccoli on the side or a big green salad for a bit of green. You could also add a pangrattato for a bit of texture, or serve with garlic bread if you want full on comfort food.

Pasta with Cherry Tomato Sauce

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This cherry tomato 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.

Author: Margie
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Yield: Serves 2
Category: Pasta
Method: Stove Top
Cuisine: Italian
Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale

For the sauce

3 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
500g cherry tomatoes
Salt and pepper
Generous grating of Parmesan

To serve:

200g pasta of your choice (I used casarecce)
Burrata
Toasted breadcrumbs (see notes)
Fresh basil

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Instructions

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.
Add the olive oil to a pan on medium heat. Tip in the cherry tomatoes. Season well with salt and pepper. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds and turn the heat to medium-high.
Add a ladle of pasta cooking water. Cook until the tomatoes begin to burst. Smoosh them with the back of your spoon to encourage them to burst.
Keep stirring to encourage the tomatoes to disintegrate into the sauce and add more pasta water as needed.
Drain the pasta, keeping some of the pasta cooking water set aside in case you need it. Add the pasta to the sauce with a generous amount of parmesan. 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.
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!

Notes

Making the breadcrumb topping: I love making this quick topping on lots of dishes for a little added texture. I just whizz a bit of bread up in the food processor and then fry in a little olive oil until golden and crispy over medium-high heat. Sprinkle with a little Maldon salt and fresh pepper)

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