This burst cherry tomato pasta with whipped ricotta is super simple and a perfect way to use up all those summer cherry tomatoes! It's light, full of flavor, and can serve as an easy lunch or side dish.
Just gently cook the tomatoes on the stove with some olive oil and garlic, then toss with fresh basil and pasta! It couldn't be easier to make this light, summery meal!
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Why You'll Love This Cherry Tomato Sauce!
If you aren’t making your own fresh tomato sauce, you are missing out! It’s insanely simple, super quick, and so much healthier than what you get in a jar. This burst cherry tomato sauce is:
- The best way to use up fresh cherry tomatoes in the summer!
- Comes together in just 20 minutes!
- Less than 10 simple ingredients!
You might also like this lemon spinach orzo, this goat cheese risotto with tomato confit, or this peach and ricotta Panzanella!
Ingredient Notes
You just need a few simple ingredients to make this burst cherry tomato pasta!
Pasta - I love using a long pasta like capellini or pappardelle for this sauce, but a short pasta like rigatoni works well too! So basically any type of pasta you want! Use a high-quality die cut pasta like Delallo or De Cecco for the yummiest results.
Cherry Tomatoes - Heirloom cherry tomatoes are my favorite so that's what I typically recommend. But I happened to find these gorgeous cherry tomatoes at the farmers market and couldn't resist.
Garlic - The sliced garlic is a MUST!
Olive Oil - You want to use good, high quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor!
Red Pepper Flakes - I love adding just a little red pepper for some heat, but you can leave it out if desired.
Fresh Herbs - I highly recommend using fresh basil and thyme for the brightest flavor!
Ricotta - I love serving this cherry tomato pasta over a bed of whipped ricotta for the additional light, creamy texture! This is optional of course, but it's just SO good!
Parmesan - This is optional but I'll never pass up an extra sprinkle of parmesan or pecorino cheese!
Optional: Fresh tomatoes can be super acidic, so you can add a tiny bit (about a teaspoon) of sugar or honey to help cut the acidity a little bit!
The complete list of ingredients and amounts is located in the recipe card below.
How to Make Whipped Ricotta
Add the ricotta, olive oil, salt and pepper to a small food processor and blend for about a minute until super smooth and creamy!
Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days!
Tip: make extra to serve on toast!
How to Make Pasta Sauce
In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the whole cherry tomatoes, sliced garlic, red pepper flakes and fresh thyme and stir to coat in the oil.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes burst and release their juices.
Taste and add in a pinch of sugar or honey to cut the acidity if desired. Then stir in the fresh basil.
While the tomatoes are cooking, go ahead and cook your pasta according to package directions. Make sure you heavily salt the water and cook the pasta for about 2 minutes less than the listed time for perfect al dente pasta!
Before draining, scoop out about ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water and set aside. Then drain the pasta (but do NOT rinse it).
Add the al dente pasta and pasta water to the sauce and toss gently to combine for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce thickens up slightly and coats the noodles.
Since the pasta water is salty, I like to wait to salt the tomato sauce until after I've added in the pasta water and noodles. Once the noodles are coated in the sauce, taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Spread about ¼ cup of the whipped ricotta on a plate and top with the warm burst cherry tomato pasta.
Sprinkle the pasta with a little parmesan cheese, if desired, and top with more fresh basil!
Recipe Notes
Instead of whipped ricotta you could also serve this pasta with some fresh burrata!
Have an abundance of summer tomatoes?? Make some extra sauce and whipped ricotta and serve on toasted sourdough for the most delicious roasted cherry tomato toast!
This burst cherry tomato sauce would also be delicious on:
- Spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles
- On top of parmesan risotto
- As a sauce for a flatbread pizza
- Literally just eating by the spoonful
Recipe FAQ's
Typically it depends on the course. For a light lunch or side dish, typically 2 ounces (55g) per person. For a main course more like 3.5 ounces (100 grams). This recipe is written for 8 ounces of pasta (½ package) which is 2 large servings or 4 small servings. But it's super easy to double if you need more!
Yes! The sauce will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge before serving. Simply reheat on the stove and toss with the fresh cooked pasta and pasta water to thicken up!
Yes! Let the sauce cool to room temperature, then transfer individual servings to zip-lock bags and freeze flat. Reheat on the stove and toss with fresh cooked pasta for a super easy meal!
Tips for Success!
For best results I always recommend using weight measurements (especially when baking) because it's the most accurate. Kitchen scales are super affordable and also reduce the number of dishes you have to do! However, all my recipes also include US customary measurements for convince. Use this chart to convert measurements for common ingredients!
Substitutions: In all my recipes, I've included substitutions that I know will work, but I cannot guarantee results if you substitute ingredients that I have not recommended. [For example, granulated sugar and honey are indeed both sweeteners but they have very different properties so they can not always be swapped 1:1. Using honey in a cookie recipe that calls for granulated sugar will yield a giant mess.] In the recipe card you'll find links to the specific ingredients/brands that I use.
A note on salt: I almost exclusively use Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt because it's the best all-purpose salt for cooking and baking. If you're not using kosher salt, consult this handy guide for a conversion chart! When in doubt, if you're using table salt just reduce the amount by half for baked goods. When cooking, I prefer to under-salt because you can always add more! If you've over-salted, adding a little bit of acid (like lemon juice) can help.
More Recipes You Might Like!
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Recipe Card
Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta
Special Equipment
Ingredients
Whipped Ricotta
- ½ cup ricotta
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- pinch black pepper
Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced thin
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme
- ¼ cup fresh basil, sliced thin
- ½ teaspoon sugar or honey, optional if needed
Pasta
- 8 ounces pasta, ½ package
- ¼ cup pasta water
- parmesan or pecorino, optional
Instructions
- This recipe is written for 8 ounces of pasta (½ package) which is 2 large servings or 4 small servings. But it's super easy to double if you need more and want to make a full package.
Whipped Ricotta
- Add the ricotta, olive oil, salt and pepper to a small food processor and blend for about a minute until super smooth and creamy!
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days!
Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce
- In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add in the whole cherry tomatoes, sliced garlic, red pepper flakes and fresh thyme and stir to coat in the oil.
- Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes until the tomatoes burst and release their juices.
- Taste and add in a pinch of sugar or honey to cut the acidity if desired. Then stir in the fresh basil.
Pasta
- While the tomatoes are cooking, go ahead and cook your pasta according to package directions. Make sure you heavily salt the water and cook the pasta for about 2 minutes less than the listed time for perfect al dente pasta!
- Before draining, scoop out about ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water and set aside. Then drain the pasta (but do NOT rinse it).
- Add the al dente pasta and pasta water to the sauce and toss gently to combine for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce thickens up slightly and coats the noodles.
- Since the pasta water is salty, I like to wait to salt the tomato sauce until after I've added in the pasta water and noodles. Once the noodles are coated in the sauce, taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- Spread about ¼ cup of the whipped ricotta on a plate and top with the warm burst cherry tomato pasta.
- Sprinkle the pasta with a little parmesan cheese, if desired, and top with more fresh basil!
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Esther Van Riper says
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