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Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce

Jul 16, 2020 · Leave a Comment

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Completed skillet of cherry tomato pasta with a basil plant in the background

An easy cherry tomato pasta sauce made with a mix of canned tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, absolutely delicious and the perfect pasta topping!

What makes this cherry tomato pasta sauce so good?

Fresh parmesan being grated on top of the pasta

This pasta sauce is so good for a few reasons.

It’s easy! You don’t need any exotic spices or ingredients, just basic pantry ingredients along with fresh cherry tomatoes, combined in a skillet and cooked.

It’s fast. You get a lot of flavor with just a 10-15 minute simmer.

The mix of cherry tomatoes with the canned tomatoes instantly brings some freshness to the sauce, as well as a subtle sweetness from the sweeter cherry tomatoes.

It’s very adaptable. You want to add some red chili flakes for spice? Go for it! Don’t feel comfortable making pasta sauce without Italian seasoning? Throw some in!

I got the basic recipe from Tala Bashmi, a very talented Bahraini female chef who prepared this on a fun Instagram live cooking videos.

What you need to make this pasta sauce:

all the ingredients needed to make cherry tomato pasta

You need:

Olive oil and garlic cloves: for the perfect base to the tomato sauce

Canned tomatoes and cherry tomatoes

Salt and pepper: a big pinch of each, and that’s really all the seasoning you need

Fresh basil: The best herb to add a lot of flavor, it’ll beat the dried stuff by a mile, but dried basil can be substituted in a pinch.

Butter: Adding a little butter to the finished pasta when it’s still hot gives this gorgeous richness to the tomato sauce.

Olive Oil: Similarly, drizzling the finished pasta with some good quality olive oil is a delicious way to add richness and flavor.

How to make the sauce:

cooked cherry tomato sauce before blending

First, heat the olive oil in a large enough skillet that you can add the cooked pasta noodles to it later.

Saute the garlic until fragrant, then add the canned tomatoes with their juice and the halved cherry tomatoes along with salt and pepper to taste.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes until tomatoes have broken down and softened.

Next is a step that is down to personal preference. You can take all the sauce and blend it till smooth. This might be more popular if you have younger kids who don’t like texture in their food, or if you want a very creamy smooth pasta sauce.

Alternately, you can leave the sauce chunk as is, or, my personal favorite is to take half the sauce and blend, and keep the remaining half chunky. This is the perfect medium! Also, what I tend to do with soups actually.

cherry tomato pasta sauce in a skillet with a wooden spoon

What pasta can I use?

Anything you prefer. I personally think long thin noodles like spaghetti, angel hair pasta, or linguine work the best. It’s such a simple sauce but with great flavor, so I like pasta that is thin so you can really coat it in with the sauce.

I like to use whole wheat pasta! I have a whole round up of great recipes using whole wheat pasta here.

tongs tossing some cooked spaghetti in the tomato sauce

Can I make this with only fresh tomatoes?

Yes you can. I would double the amount of cherry tomatoes, and I wouldn’t puree them all, I’d definitely keep some whole.

What to serve this pasta with:

One thing I’m obsessed with, and which would be amazing both on top of the pasta and mixed in to the sauce is this Garlic Confit.

You could serve this with a simple salad, or some roasted vegetables on the side. Or go for a more elaborate salad, like this delicious eggplant salad with pomegranate.

Go for extra carbs, and serve the pasta with these delicious homemade fluffy dinner rolls.

How to store extra sauce or make this in advance:

If making this ahead of time, I would recommend not tossing the cooked pasta in the sauce. I would prepare the sauce, refrigerate for 2-3 days, then prepare the pasta fresh and toss it in the sauce as you reheat it on the stove.

parmesan being grated on spaghetti with basil in the background

Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce

An easy way to enhance pasta sauce by using cherry tomatoes to give you the most delicious balanced tomato sauce perfect for topping any pasta with!
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Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pasta, tomato
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Author: Farah Abumaizar

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 can whole tomatoes 14.5 oz or 400 g
  • 1 large handful cherry tomatoes, halved a small pack, or as many as you like!
  • big pinch salt
  • big pinch pepper
  • 1/2 pack pasta noodles, cooked around 200 g or 8 oz
  • handful fresh basil leaves
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • sprinkle grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet until hot, then add the crushed garlic and sauté for a minute.
  • Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the cherry tomatoes, the salt and pepper.
  • Simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tomatoes have softened.
  • Either keep the sauce chunky as is, or remove half of the sauce to a blender, and blend until smooth and creamy. Add the blended sauce back into the skillet with the unblended sauce, and add the cooked spaghetti and toss to combine.
  • Add the chopped fresh basil and the butter, and toss gently to combine. Sprinkle with lots of Parmesan cheese and drizzle with olive oil just before serving.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Tala Bashmi , you can find it on her IGTV!
 
Tried this recipe?Mention @everylittlecrumb or tag #everylittlecrumb!

Cherry Tomato Pasta by everylittlecrumb on Jumprope.

If you liked this recipe, you might like:

Shrimp and Clam Pasta

Spicy Eggplant Pasta

Pasta with Yogurt Sauce

Did you make this? Tag @everylittlecrumb or hashtag #everylittlecrumb and I’ll share your images!

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everylittlecrumb

Farah Abu Maizar | Food Lover
Good morning! If there’s one thing we like doing Good morning! If there’s one thing we like doing, it’s experimenting with breakfast dishes 🍳.These beauties are froached eggs- poached eggs that are lightly fried and seasoned with breadcrumbs. Best of both worlds! Creamy poached eggs, runny yolk but a little crisp on the white part of the eggs. So good! Inspired by @sveverything , we used our sous vide machine for this but you can do this with regular poached eggs. Recipe can be found linked in bio or at https://everylittlecrumb.com/froached-eggs/ . Team runny yolk anyone? 
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How I spend a lot of my weekends😂. Nothing like How I spend a lot of my weekends😂. Nothing like a big bowl of cookie dough to say weekend mode on! Are you like me and end up eating more dough than actual cookies? My foolproof recipe I use and post time and time again 👇🏼(and often double the batch so I can store some in the freezer!)

Ingredients:
1 stick butter, softened 113 g
3/4 cup tightly packed brown sugar (I like using 1/2 cup light brown and 1/4 cup dark brown, but you can use either or) 150 g total
1/4 cup white sugar 50 g
1 egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour 220 g
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks
flaky salt for topping, optional

Instructions:
-In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or a handheld mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, and white sugar for 5 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.
-Once five minutes is over, add in egg and vanilla and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking soda, and salt, and mix until combined. Add these dry ingredients to the butter mixture on low speed, and mix until just combined.
-Using a wooden spoon or spatula, mix in chocolate chips or chunks until just combined. Place bowl of dough in fridge for at least 30 minutes to chill.
-While dough is chilling, heat oven to 180 C (350F). Portion dough out into heaped 1 tbsp-2 tbsp sized dough pieces on parchment paper lined baking sheets. 
-Bake for 11-12 minutes or until golden brown on the edges but still soft in the center. Cool until cookies firm up, then enjoy, still warm.
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Bbq salmon bowls with mango avocado salsa- unbelie Bbq salmon bowls with mango avocado salsa- unbelievable! And start to finish, you can be eating these in 15-20 minutes. Save this recipe for your next meal, you don’t want to miss out!

I’ve partnered with @kilosamak to produce a few recipes with their quality seafood- I’ve tried several of their items and genuinely loved them all! They deliver seafood straight to your door for you to enjoy and cook at home. Takes all the guesswork out of trying to choose and clean fish yourself, perfect solution for someone like me who loves seafood but isn’t so great at prepping it! Check out their Instagram page on how to order, or head to the link in my bio.

This salmon has a smoky slightly sweet rub, is baked in the oven for ultimate ease, and gets piled on to rice and topped with an easy, addictive, zingy mango and avocado salsa. Adapted from @pinchofyum , I’ll make this again and again!

Ingredients:
For the salmon:
2 fillets, about 250 g each 
Spice Rub:
2 tbsp brown sugar
1.5 tsp paprika 
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder, optional 
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp salt 
2 tbsp olive oil 

Mango avocado salsa:
1 diced mangos 
1 diced avocado
1/4 cup finely diced coriander 
1/4 cup finely diced red onion 
1 inch spicy green chili pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp honey
Juice and zest of one lime
Salt to taste

Method:
- Make the salsa by mixing together all the salsa ingredients and placing bowl in fridge while you make the salmon.
- Heat oven to 240C, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. 
-Mix together all the ingredients for the salmon rub, and rub thoroughly all over the salmon, both sides.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes until salmon is opaque and cooked all the way through.
-Assemble bowls with rice, flaked pieces of salmon,and plenty of mango avocado salsa. Enjoy 😍

Catch the steps in my story!
Have you tried this pasta yet? Save this for your Have you tried this pasta yet? Save this for your next weeknight meal! Saucy macarona iltaybeen, can’t get much more comforting.  Adapted from @jedir3waish , makes for an easy delicious main that’ll make your family including kids very happy! Can find a step by step linked bio, or at https://everylittlecrumb.com/macarona/ , or in my story!

INGREDIENTS:
 
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
big pinch of salt
3 heaped tbsp tomato paste, divided 2 oz or 70 g
1 pack elbow macaroni 14 oz or 400 g
1 onion, very finely diced
1 zucchini, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
4-5 garlic cloves, minced
250 g ground beef
1 tsp seven spices
1 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp paprika powder
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
1 can crushed tomatoes 14.5oz (400g)

NSTRUCTIONS
 
Bring a large pot of water to boil, add 1 tbsp olive oil and the salt, one tbsp of tomato paste, then the pack of pasta. Cook until al dente, then drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water. Set cooked pasta aside.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining tbsp of olive oil. Once hot, add the diced onion, and cook for 4-5 minutes until softened. Add the diced zucchini and carrots, and garlic and cook for a further 4-5 minutes until softened slightly.

Add the ground beef, and cook, smushing with a wooden spoon to break up the meat. Keep cooking until the beef is browned and cooked through, then optionally, drain the fat.
Add in the salt, pepper, and all the spices. Cook for another minute or so. Add the remaining 2 tbsp of tomato paste, and stir.

Add the can of crushed tomatoes and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then add a big ladleful of the reserved pasta water and simmer for 2-3 minutes on low heat.

Add the pasta to the sauce (I don't always add all the pasta, maybe 3/4 of the cooked amount until the finished dish is as saucy as I like). Stir to coat, cook for another minute or so until the pasta is warmed through, then enjoy!
This gorgeous tiramisu was so kindly sent to me by This gorgeous tiramisu was so kindly sent to me by @cadysweets.sa on my birthday, and we enjoyed every light fluffy bite of it. Their old account got hacked so follow along and support their new account ! They have a bunch of cakes and sweets for every occasion, so make someone or yourself happy and order one for a treat🤩! Send this to the tiramisu lover in your life 🍰.
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#chocolatecake #magnoliabakery #cakestagram #cakephotos #layercake #chocolate #ganache #foodblog #instayum #yummy #bakery #foodporn #foodtographyschool #foodphotography #slice #delish #foodfluffer #damnthatsdelish #tiramisu #birthdaytreat #dessertbae #dessertoftheday #scoop #foodstyling #foodstylingandphotography
Easiest at home crusty bread with a great open cru Easiest at home crusty bread with a great open crumb texture. It’s the no knead bread from @breadin5 and has yet to fail me. Check my story for the step by step, and swipe for a video reveal.

Ingredients for two small loaves:
1.5 cups lukewarm water 
1/2 tbsp any type of yeast
1/2 tbsp salt
3 1/4 cup plain flour (450g)

Method:
In a large bowl, stir together the water with the yeast and salt. Try to dissolve but it’s fine if you have clumps.
2. Add flour all at once and stir, just until no flour patches remain.
3. Cover loosely with a kitchen cloth and leave it to rest for 2 hours in a warm place until risen and bubbly.
After this rest you can:
- Use dough immediately if impatient, but it’s easier to work with if cold, so maybe pop in fridge briefly
- Or, their recommended method and the one I do, leave in the fridge loosely covered for 12 hours or overnight. 
Refrigerated dough lasts up to two weeks, and flavor depends over time!
4. The next day, the dough might look deflated. That’s fine! When ready to bake, divide dough in half (I got two 400g dough balls)- it might be easier to handle if you sprinkle the dough lightly with flour, and take the half you are going to bake out of the fridge. Let it rest on a parchment paper lined baking sheet 40-90 minutes. The longer the more interior bubbles you should have. Preheat oven to 235C (450F), and after rest, make a few deep slashes in the dough with a sharp knife.
5. Place in the middle rack of the oven, and on the bottom rack place a roasting pan that had about a cup of hot water in it. This will create steam which gives a crustier crust!
6. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until deep golden brown.
7. Let it cool completely before enjoying!
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#damnthatsdelish #foodfluffer #thebakefeed #feedfeed #tastingtable #forthemaking #BHGfood #foodblogfeed #bakedfromscratch #bakinglove #f52grams #foodbloggerpro #bakersofinstagram #TOHfoodie #foodphotography #canonphotos #bread #instayummy #kitchn #huffposttaste #food #dough #foodie #nokneadbread #homemadebread #doughter
Good morning! With dine in still closed in Saudi, Good morning! With dine in still closed in Saudi, Friday pancakes are fast becoming a tradition. And honestly, I don’t think I’ve had better pancakes at any restaurant recently! The easiest, fluffiest diner style pancakes are a huge hit in our family, find the recipe below adapted from @allrecipes . I like to barely warm the oven (110C or so) and keep the finished pancakes in a pan in the oven until I’m done with all the batter so they stay warm and perfect 👌🏼.

Ingredients
3/4 cup milk 170g
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 cup flour 125g
2 tbsp sugar 25g
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg room temperature
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp butter, melted 28g

Instructions:
-In a large bowl, combine the milk and vinegar, and let aside to stand for 5 minutes until curdled. Whisk to combine.
-In a separate large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
-Add an egg, the vanilla and the melted butter to the buttermilk and whisk to combine.
-Add the dry ingredients all at once to the wet, and whisk until flour patches disappear. A few lumps are fine, but don't over mix.
-Let the batter rest for 5-10 minutes while you heat a pan on the stove.
lightly grease the pan with nonstick spray or butter, and pour about 1/4 cup of batter on the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. (Flip the first time once you see bubbles form and the edges of the pancake dry up).
-Enjoy with toppings of your choice!
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