The Jammy Tomato Pasta We’ve Been Making On Repeat!
I’m calling it, this is my favorite pasta of the summer!
We have made this lemony cherry tomato pasta no less than five times in the past month and still cannot get enough of it. The combination of bright lemon, garlicky olive oil, and sweet cherry tomatoes that cook down until they’re perfectly jammy tastes SO fresh and summery. And best of all, the sauce comes together quickly in one skillet while the pasta boils, making this a fabulous 20-minute dinner for nights when you’d rather not spend any extra time in the kitchen.
I highly recommend serving this one with a generous shower of Parmesan. And while I usually dial back the crushed red pepper flakes when making this for my kids, I personally love this pasta with a pretty bold kick of heat, so feel free to amp things up if you’d like.
I’m telling you, this is one of those simple recipes that somehow tastes like so much more than the sum of its parts. So grab some cherry tomatoes and a lemon and let’s make some pasta!
Recipe Tips
A few quick tips to help this lemony tomato pasta turn out extra delicious:
- Salt the pasta water generously. Since the pasta water becomes part of the sauce, you want it to be nicely seasoned from the start.
- Cook the pasta just shy of al dente. It will finish cooking in the skillet with the sauce, which helps everything cling together beautifully.
- Save that pasta water. The starchy leftover pasta water is what turns the tomato mixture into a glossy sauce. I’d reserve at least 3/4 cup, maybe even a full cup just to be safe, in order to finish that delicious sauce.
- Add the lemon off the heat. This keeps the lemon zest and juice tasting fresh and bright instead of slightly cooked down.
- Taste at the very end. Tomatoes, pasta water, Parmesan, and lemon can all change the seasoning a bit, so give it a final taste and add more salt, pepper, or red pepper flakes if needed.
- Serve it right away. This pasta is at its best when it’s hot and glossy, straight from the skillet.
Variations You Can Try
This pasta is super flexible, so feel free to play around with it depending on what you have on hand:
- Add burrata for a creamy, dramatic finish that melts into the warm tomato sauce.
- Stir in baby spinach or arugula right at the end if you’d like to add some greens.
- Add shrimp for extra protein. Just sauté them separately or nestle them into the tomato sauce near the end until cooked through.
- Make it creamier with a splash of heavy cream or half-and-half before adding the pasta.
- Add capers or olives if you want a briny, salty little punch.
- Make it extra herby with fresh basil, parsley, oregano, or a little thyme.
- Add toasted pine nuts for crunch. I love them here with the lemon.
FAQ
Totally. I used pappardelle because I love the way the wide ribbons catch the sauce, but spaghetti, linguine, bucatini, rigatoni, fusilli, or farfalle would all work well here. Just use 8 ounces of whatever pasta you love.
Definitely, grape tomatoes are great here too. Just halve them the same way and cook until they soften and release their juices.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave with a small splash of water to help revive the sauce.
Lemony Cherry Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta, (I used pappardelle)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more/less to taste
- 1 pound (450g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon
- optional garnishes: chopped fresh basil, freshly-grated Parmesan, extra black pepper
Instructions
- Prep the pasta water. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
- Sauté the aromatics. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Cook the pasta and start the sauce. Add the cherry tomatoes, salt, and a few twists of black pepper to the skillet and stir briefly to combine. At the same time, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente. Cook the tomato sauce for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes as the tomatoes begin to cook down. Reserve about 3/4 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining the pasta.
- Toss the pasta. Add the drained pasta to the skillet, along with a few splashes of reserved pasta water. Toss until the pasta is glossy and evenly coated, adding more pasta water as needed so the sauce lightly clings to the pasta.
- Finish and serve. Remove from heat and toss with the lemon zest and juice. Taste and season with additional salt, black pepper, or red pepper flakes as needed. Serve warm, garnished with basil, Parmesan, and/or extra black pepper if you’d like. Enjoy!
Did you make this?Let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Simple and delicious. Will definitely make again!
Delicious summer meal. Thank you. I have loved your recipes since 2017!
I made this tonight. It was incredible. Cooking out the tomato paste, garlic and pepper flakes to flavor the oil before adding the tomatoes was so great. The way it finishes by soaking up and emulsifying the pasta water with the oil was magical to watch happen. I thought the raw lemon might be too much at the end, but it mellowed out perfectly. Thank you!
So simple and delicious! I added a small dab of anchovy paste as well
Plan to try tonight – looks delicious and have loved your other recipes I have made
This looks good! I think I’m going to make this and add some air fryer salmon on top.