Description
A fast and easy pasta recipe featuring a blistered cherry tomato sauce, garlic, fresh basil, and Parmesan cheese for a creamy, flavorful dish perfect for weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta and Sauce
- 1 pound dry pasta
- Kosher salt
- 4 medium cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 1/2 pounds cherry tomatoes (about 2 pints)
- 1 ounce fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Cook the Pasta: Place pasta in a large skillet or sauté pan and cover with water and a big pinch of kosher salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Boil until just shy of al dente, about 1 minute less than package instructions.
- Sauté Garlic: Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons olive oil and garlic in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently until garlic softens but does not brown, about 3 minutes.
- Cook Tomatoes: Add cherry tomatoes to garlic and cook, stirring and pressing gently with the back of a wooden spoon until tomatoes begin to burst, about 10 minutes.
- Simmer Sauce: Continue cooking tomatoes until the sauce becomes rich and creamy, about 5 minutes longer. Stir in chopped basil and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water. Add pasta to the tomato sauce skillet, increase heat to medium-high, and cook while stirring and tossing constantly. Gradually add reserved pasta water as needed to achieve a creamy consistency.
- Finish and Serve: Remove from heat, stir in remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, grate a generous amount of Parmesan cheese, and serve immediately with extra Parmesan available at the table.
Notes
- You can substitute cherry tomatoes with in-season or supermarket grape tomatoes for a similar burst of flavor.
- Be careful not to brown the garlic as it will add bitter notes to the sauce.
- Reserve pasta water is essential for adjusting the sauce’s creaminess and helping it cling to the pasta.
- Use fresh basil for the best aroma and flavor, and add it at the end to preserve its freshness.
- Parmesan cheese preferably should be freshly grated for superior flavor and texture.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 350 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 13 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 55 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 12 g
- Cholesterol: 8 mg
