Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta
Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta is a quick and easy weeknight pasta recipe. With garlic and roasted cherry tomatoes this spaghetti gets dinner on the table quickly!
Servings: 4
Calories: 83kcal
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil Note 1
- 5 cloves garlic thinly sliced, Note 2
- 4 cups cherry tomatoes Note 3
- 500 grams/16 oz spaghetti Note 4
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup/250 ml reserved pasta water Note 5
Garnish (optional):
- black pepper
- parmesan cheese finely grated using a microplane zester
- basil leaves
Instructions
- Garlic: place a large frying pan onto the stove top, turn the heat to high and add the olive oil and sliced garlic cloves. Cook for 2 minutes to soften and slightly brown the garlic.
- Tomatoes: add the tomatoes to the pan with the garlic, season with salt and pepper and then cook for 4-5 minutes until they burst and release their juices. Then turn the heat down to low.
- Pasta: read and follow the instructions on the pasta package to cook it. When it almost ready use a heatproof jug to scoop out 1-2 cups of the pasta water. Then use a colander over the sink to drain the rest of the pasta and discard that water.
- Combine: add the hot pasta to the garlic and tomato mixture in the pan. Then measure and pour in 1 cup (250 ml) of the reserved pasta water. Use kitchen tongs to toss and combine.
- To serve: garnish the dish with black pepper, freshly grated parmesan cheese and black pepper. Then portion into bowls and provide forks and spoons.
Notes
- Note 1 Olive oil: we do need to use actual oil (not spray oil) for this recipe. As it forms the base of the pasta sauce with the burst cherry tomato juices and pasta water merged into it.
- Note 2 - Garlic: fresh garlic cloves which you thinly slice are recommended. These get fried off in the initial stages of the cook time and add to the taste and texture of the dish.
- Note 3 Cherry tomatoes: try and get a combination of mixed colours of tomatoes such as red, orange, green and maroon as they add diverse pops of colour to the dish.
- Note 4 - Pasta: you can use your favorite pasta for the recipe. Spaghetti, fettuccine and linguine are all good options. Simply read and follow the package directions to cook it in a pot of boiling salted water till al dente (a little bit chewy).
- Note 5 - Reserved pasta water: we need to use 1 cup (250 ml) of the pasta water that we cooked the spaghetti in for the sauce. Moments before the pasta is ready scoop out around 2 cups using a heatproof jug. Then when ready measure and add 1 cup to the garlic and tomato mixture with the hot pasta. Eagle eyed readers 🥰: in the photo in the post where I am showing you this, I am using a ½ cup measuring cup but I poured it in 2 times. (In case you are thinking it looks a little smaller than 1 cup 😉👌. I am not trying to confuse you 😘.
Nutrition
Calories: 83kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 669mg | Potassium: 686mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1153IU | Vitamin C: 37mg | Calcium: 30mg | Iron: 2mg