One of my favorite parts about summer is that it’s tomato season. Living in California, we have a lot of tomatoes throughout the year at the grocery store, but there’s something uniquely delicious about having ripe tomatoes from your backyard garden.
If you’ve got a delicious bounty of tomatoes, try this cherry tomato pasta. It’s full of sweet and tangy cherry tomatoes, bright yuzu, balsamic vinegar, and many savory flavors. If you don’t have a backyard garden, i’ll show you how to pick the best tomatoes from the grocery store below.
Tomatoes in my garden
If you can’t tell by the name, the main ingredient in this recipe is cherry tomatoes! I try to make this recipe during tomato season so I can use fresh, homegrown tomatoes because they definitely taste better.
I’ve been growing my tomatoes for over four years now, and they’re genuinely one of the easiest plants to grow. Check out my blog post if you want to learn how easy it can be to grow tomatoes in pots.
You can definitely make this recipe with store-bought cherry tomatoes, too. Here are my tips for picking good cherry tomatoes in the grocery store or farmer’s market:
- Smell them: they should smell slightly sweet & of tomatoes. If you don’t smell anything, they may not have too much flavor or were picked too early.
- Look at their skin texture and shape. Ripe cherry tomatoes should be plump with smooth skin. Avoid anything that looks overly wrinkled or soft, as it may be too old.
- Open the box or check around the plastic container to ensure there aren’t any mold spores.
Types of pasta
Cherry tomato pasta is great paired with many different types of pasta. You can use homemade pasta dough at home or buy premade pasta to make things easier. Since the sauce is lighter, this pasta does well with varieties like spaghetti, angel hair, or bucatini. Cook the pasta to al dente since it’ll cook a little more in the saucepan.
Pasta sauce ingredients
This cherry tomato pasta has a fairly light but flavorful pasta sauce. Here are the main ingredients and how you can adjust them based on your pantry or preferences:
- Cherry tomatoes add sweet and tart flavor and serve as a base for the pasta. You can also use grape tomatoes or mini heirloom tomatoes. The easy part about using cherry tomatoes is that you don’t have to cut them. Whole cherry tomatoes are sauteed directly on the pan and burst open over time.
- Shallots have a sweeter and lighter flavor than onions and offer a jammy consistency for the sauce. You can substitute shallots for yellow onions, but they will be less sweet.
- Garlic is a no-brainer; it adds savory, sweet notes to the sauce and complements the shallots. I like using fresh garlic, but powdered garlic is fine, too. Since this recipe uses sliced garlic (which is less potent than minced garlic), use ⅛ teaspoons of powdered garlic per clove.
- Yuzu juice is one of my favorite ways to add acidity to dishes, and it’s a little more complex than traditional lemon juice because there are some floral notes. However, in a pinch, you can use lemon juice too.
- Balsamic vinegar adds just enough rich and complex tanginess to any pasta dish, especially one that is slightly creamy.
- Parmesan gives us a creamier consistency and adds some salinity. For a lighter flavor, you can use other cheeses like pecorino.
Seasoning and sauce options
Seasoning options for this burst tomato pasta are Italian staples like basil and oregano. But don’t let these options stop you. Here are some more seasonings you can switch out or add on:
- Rosemary
- Thyme
- Marjoram
- Pecorino
Can you make ahead or reheat this?
You should make this pasta right before serving because it will slightly thicken while cooling or in the refrigerator. I’ve noticed that when you reheat this pasta, the consistency can change, but it’s still delicious the day after. Make sure to keep it in an airtight container and eat it within 2-3 days.
Cherry Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti or your preferred pasta
- water for boiling
- ½ c kosher salt Diamond Crystal preferred
Sauce
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 c cherry tomatoes
- 1 shallots sliced
- 6 cloves garlic sliced
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar add more if you want
- 1 tsp yuzu juice or lemon
- ½ c shredded Parmesan plus more for topping
- ¼ c sliced basil
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- Kosher salt Diamond Crystal preferred
- black pepper
Equipment Used
- measuring spoons and cups
- knife and cutting board
- grater
- pot for boiling pasta
- saute pan
- tongs
- Strainer
- Spoon
Instructions
- In a pot over medium-high heat, bring the water to a boil and add ½ c kosher salt.
- Add the 8 oz spaghetti and cook based on your box instructions until al dente. Test a piece of pasta, it should be soft, but with a slight bite. Reserve ¼ cups of pasta water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- In a saute pan over medium heat, add HALF of the 3 tbsp olive oil and 1 shallots. Cook for one minute or until softened. Add the 6 cloves garlic slices and saute for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Add the rest of the 3 tbsp olive oil, 2 c cherry tomatoes, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, and 1 tsp yuzu juice. Saute for 10 minutes until softened. Stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add 2 tbsp of the pasta water to the sauce. Stir to combine.
- Sprinkle the ¼ tsp dried oregano and ¼ c sliced basil to the sauce and cook for one minute.
- Add the pasta and mix gently. If the sauce is too thick, add one to two tablespoons of pasta sauce.
- Sprinkle on the ½ c shredded Parmesan and mix thoroughly.
- Taste the sauce and add any salt or black pepper. Serve with more sliced basil and parmesan on top.
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