This cherry tomato pasta is my ideal summer dinner. Filled with bursty tomatoes, garlic, and basil, it's fresh, flavorful, and super easy to make!
Making this cherry tomato pasta recipe is like giving yourself a gift. It’s incredibly simple, so you don’t need a lot of time or energy to do it, and the flavor is just so good. Sweet, tangy, fresh…this cherry tomato pasta is what summer cooking is all about.
Cherry Tomato Pasta Recipe Ingredients
Like any good summer recipe, this cherry tomato pasta starts with peak-season produce. Here, that means lots and lots of cherry tomatoes. Use as many varieties as you can get your hands on. Any color or shape will work – the more, the merrier!
You’ll cook down half into a light, garlicky sauce. Then, you’ll add the rest in the final few minutes of cooking. That way, they’ll still be plump and bursty when you eat.
Here’s what else you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Pasta, of course! I love using bucatini here. The chewy, al dente noodles contrast perfectly with the juicy cherry tomatoes.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness.
- Garlic – It infuses the pasta with nutty depth of flavor.
- Capers and balsamic vinegar – They give the pasta a tangy, briny kick.
- Lemon zest – It adds a nice brightness.
- Red pepper flakes – For heat.
- Fresh basil – Because tomatoes + basil are a match made in heaven! Its spicy, aromatic flavor is essential here.
- Pecorino cheese – It gives the pasta a rich, savory finish. If you’re vegan or dairy-free, feel free to skip it, or sprinkle your pasta with my vegan Parmesan cheese instead. Both options are delicious!
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Cherry Tomato Pasta Serving Suggestions
This cherry tomato pasta recipe is the perfect easy, elegant summer dinner. Serve it with crusty bread for mopping up the pasta sauce and a simple salad. Any of these recipes would be a great pick:
- Simple Green Salad
- Green Bean Salad
- Zucchini Salad
- Italian Chopped Salad
- Caesar Salad
- Or any of these 37 Best Salad Recipes!
Round out the meal with peach crisp or cobbler for dessert. Enjoy!
More Summer Pasta Recipes
If you love this recipe, try another summer pasta dish next:
- Linguine with Lemon & Tomatoes
- Creamy Pasta Pomodoro
- Roasted Vegetable Pasta
- Best Vegetarian Lasagna
- Easy Pesto Pasta
- Pesto Pasta Salad
- Easy Pasta Salad
- Or any of these 25 Easy Pasta Recipes!
Cherry Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 ounces bucatini pasta
- ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced
- 3 pints cherry tomatoes
- 2½ tablespoons capers
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1½ cups fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup grated pecorino cheese, or Parmesan or Vegan Parmesan, optional
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water according to the package directions, or until al dente. Drain and toss with a drizzle of olive oil to prevent sticking.
- In a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until soft and fragrant. Add half the tomatoes along with the capers, lemon zest, vinegar, salt, red pepper flakes, and several grinds of pepper. Toss to coat. If the oil starts to sputter while cooking, turn the heat down as needed. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes break down and release their juices.
- Add the remaining tomatoes, stir, and cook for 2 to 4 minutes, or until the second addition of tomatoes is just beginning to burst. Add the pasta and toss to combine. Cook for 1 to 2 more minutes, or until the pasta is coated in the sauce and heated through.
- Stir in the basil and cheese, if using. Season to taste and serve.
This was amazing! Best pasta recipe I’ve tried in the last few years. I reduced the oil to 1/4 c and added about 1/2 c pasta water near the end. I also used lemon torchetti pasta from trader joe’s. Phenomenal and easy! Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it, Hannah!
Wow! I hoping this was good but it was excellent! I could see how you add in some grilled shrimp but we enjoyed it just how it is! Printing it and saving it for later!
Easy, nutritious and delicious!
Absolutely delicious! Had about half the tomatoes the recipe called for, but had extra Roma tomatoes from my garden, so I used the cherry tomatoes for the first part, and then threw in the sliced Roma’s at the end. Such great flavors and simple to put together! Goes so well with a crisp Italian salad and some bread. Will definitely make again. Thanks for a great recipe!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I made this, and it came out with very pretty and very delicious. The only problem was, the cherries tomatoes were so incredibly hot on the inside, that I had to wait so long for it to cool down to eat it, that the other ingredients were only room temperature. Would this work better if I cut them in half or something?
Hi Terri, I’m glad you enjoyed the pasta! If you’d like the tomatoes to be cooler, I think halving them is a good idea.
I made this for dinner this evening And even my husband, who is a very picky eater,, enjoyed it.. He did complain about the lack of meat, but Did say that he liked it. I had actually meant to sear some shrimp to add to it, but totally forgot.
It’s only the two of us, so I reduced the recipe as best I could to 1/3. I fudged some of the amounts based on my personal preference. I am unwilling to skimp on capers, balsamic vinegar or lemon zest.
I will definitely be making this again!! I also want to try your roasted tomato recipe.. I’ve bookedmarked your site!
Hi Kat, I’m so glad you enjoyed the pasta. I hope you love the roasted tomatoes too!
I made this for my S.O. and I and had enough tomatoes for half the recipe. I added a can of sardines for protein and it made a delicious dinner, sopped up with bread. Yummy! The sardines went very well with the recipe.
I’m so glad you both loved it!
We really enjoyed this! I made a half recipe for my husband and me and we still had leftovers!
We had some crusty bread to go along with it as you suggested – perfect!
I’m so glad you loved the pasta, Barb!
Great recipe with garden tomatoes, garlic and basil. So sweet & fresh. And easy!
Hi Keith, I’m so glad you enjoyed the pasta!
Excellent. Especially good with a little extra sauce. I didn’t have fresh basil on hand, so once the pasta was plated, I put small dollops of basil pesto on the pasta and served with extra cheese. It looked beautiful and was delicious
Oooohhhhh, that sounds mummy!