Ready in just 30 minutes, this simple, tasty recipe for Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce is a great way to use up fresh tomatoes from your garden!
Serve with my Perfect Garlic Bread for the ultimate weeknight dinner.
I love cooking with fresh ingredients and nothing is fresher than straight from your garden! I don’t garden myself (I was not born with a green thumb), but my sister is always sharing what she grows which is always a pleasure to cook with!
When I created this recipe, I was low on tomato sauce so I thought I’d create a new version of standard tomato basil pasta sauce. It was super simple to make and really delicious! I now make this a lot over the summer months.
Why This Recipe Works
- By choosing cherry tomatoes in lieu of larger varieties and starting in a hot pan, the same richness of flavor was achieved in just 30 minutes.
- Sauteed garlic adds a delicious kick of flavor to this simple sauce.
- Tossed with pasta, fresh basil, and Parmesan cheese, this dish delivers on deep flavors.
Ingredient Notes
- Tomatoes – Use fresh, thin skinned tomatoes. Cherry, grape, or baby Roma tomatoes are all good choices, but you can use any small tomatoes you grow in your garden.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic makes all the difference here, but if you don’t like working with it, try buying peeled whole garlic that you can freshly mince.
- Basil – I love using fresh basil, but you can use whatever herbs you like best in tomato sauce.
- Salt & Pepper – I always work with coarse salt such as kosher or sea salt along with freshly ground black pepper. If you use regular table salt, please keep in mind it is much saltier than coarse salts so use it in small amounts at a time.
How to make cherry tomato sauce
- Fry the garlic in olive oil.
- Add the cherry tomatoes and season.
- Cook for around 20 minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
Step by Step Instructions
Clean and dry the tomatoes well. Cut a quarter of the tomatoes in half.
Heat the oil on medium a large, frying pan and add the garlic. Cook 30 seconds until it is just fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, and season with salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until some tomatoes burst and release their juices to form a sauce.
Remove the pan from heat and, using a large slotted spoon, scoop out one or two spoonfuls of the whole tomatoes and set aside.
Add the remaining tomato mixture to a blender or food processor.
Puree until smooth.
Return the mixture to the pan with the whole tomatoes you set aside. Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil and then cook for 2-3 minutes to reduce the sauce and thicken to desired consistency. Add the basil, taste for seasoning and add salt as needed before serving.
To Serve with Pasta
Cook your pasta in salted water until just underdone. And reserve a a cup of the cooking water before draining.
Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce to finish cooking in the sauce. Add the pasta water to loosen as needed.
Erren’s Top Tips
- If the sauce tastes high in acid, you can sugar at the end and then cook for 3-5 minutes on low heat just to dissolve the sugar.
- If you like a chunkier sauce, skip the blending step and keep the tomatoes whole and broken down.
- This recipe can be made ahead and refrigerated for two days.
- You can add any herbs of your choice, such as basil, parsley, or oregano. If you don’t have fresh herbs you can add dried.
- Baking soda neutralizes acidity. To save bitter tomato sauce, add a pinch of baking soda at a time (tasting in between) until the acidity disappears.
Other Italian Dishes You’ll Love
FAQs
You can freeze it, you can make it in large batches and freeze by separating it into airtight, freezer-safe containers. It keeps in the freezer for up to four months.
Store the sauce by placing it in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to three days.
Did you make this?
Stay Updated
Receive new recipes & dinner ideas straight to your inbox!
Let’s Make Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound pasta
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 pounds cherry tomatoes the riper the better!
- 6 cloves garlic chopped or sliced
- fresh basil leaves a big handful torn small pieces
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
Instructions
- Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until just undercooked; reserve 2 cups of pasta water before draining. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- Heat the oil on medium heat in a large, non-stick frying pan.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds to a minute (you just want it fragrant)
- Add the tomatoes and season well with salt and add the pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until some of the tomatoes burst and release their juices to form a sauce, 6–8 minutes.
- Remove from heat and, using a large slotted spoon, scoop out one or two spoonful of the whole tomatoes and set aside.
- Add the remaining tomato mixture to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth (after pureeing if there is too much skin or seeds to your liking, you can strain the sauce at this point into a bowl).
- Return the mixture to the pan with the whole tomatoes you set aside. Cook over medium heat and bring to a boil and then cook for 3-5 minutes to reduce the sauce and thicken to desired consistency. Add the basil, taste for seasoning and add salt as needed. If the sauce tastes high in acid, you can add the sugar at this point.
- Add the pasta to the pan to finish cooking in the sauce. Add the pasta water to loosen as needed.
Tips + Notes
- If the sauce tastes high in acid, you can sugar at the end and then cook for 3-5 minutes on low heat just to dissolve the sugar.
- This recipe can be made ahead and refrigerated for two days.
- You can add any herbs of your choice, such as basil, parsley, or oregano. If you don’t have fresh herbs you can add dried.
- Baking soda neutralizes acidity. To save bitter tomato sauce, add a pinch of baking soda at a time (tasting in between) until the acidity disappears.
Nutrition Information:
This recipe was first published in 2015, but was republished with new photos and content in July of 2021.
Leslie Mills says
This was an exceptionally easy recipe to prepare with an amazing flavor! I did add a bit of oregano for added flavor. Thank you for the recipe it is a keeper!
Erren Hart says
So happy to hear it! Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
Shay says
I’m glad I chose this as my first pasta sauce to make, it came out delicious! The only thing I changed was that I added about half a shallot alongside the garlic, which smelled wonderful! 10/10, this was several times better than any sauce I’ve tried before!
Erren Hart says
How great, Shay! I’m happy to hear it! 🙂
Michelle says
This recipe made a really good sauce! My family just loved it! What a great way to use all those cherry tomatoes from the garden!
Erren Hart says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by and sharing! 🙂