Name: Pasta with Burst Cherry Tomatoes
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1 pint of fresh cherry tomatoes; 4 cloves of garlic minced; 1/4 cup olive oil; 1 tablespoon of butter; 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes (optional); kosher salt and pepper to taste

Pasta with burst cherry tomatoes is one of my all time favorite quick and fresh sauces to go over pasta! This cherry tomato pasta has a wonderful burst of freshness from the fresh cherry tomatoes and the most delicious flavor from all of the garlic and olive oil.

In this sauce, the cherry tomatoes are not cooked all the way down, leaving their shape mostly in tact.

This burst cherry tomato pasta happens to be my daughter's absolute favorite recipe and we make it a lot for that reason. We also love to make this sauce because it is quick and easy and not like a traditional long cooking marinara sauce.

The flavors in this cherry tomato sauce come from the garlic and olive oil and then the tomatoes are simmered in this mixture just until they begin to release their juices and burst open. It is really a delicious treat!

The ingredients are very simple for this dish.

What you will need to make this:

Fresh cherry tomatoes or canned (see picture at the bottom of page).
Garlic. Make sure you use fresh garlic for this sauce. It only has a few ingredients.
Olive oil. Always extra virgin.
A touch of butter.
Salt and pepper. I always use kosher salt.

Most of these items you will already have in your pantry. This dish makes a great summer time pasta dish to use up those fresh summer cherry tomatoes.

How to make this cherry tomato sauce all year:

In our house, we like to eat this fresh tomato sauce all year so we also purchase canned cherry tomatoes in their own juices. These canned cherry tomatoes are a great pantry staple to have on hand and you can usually find it in the Italian section of your supermarket.

By purchasing canned cherry tomatoes for your pantry you can ensure you have an easy dinner idea on hand like this pasta, tomato basil soup or an easy marinara sauce.

Fresh cherry tomato sauce over penne pasta.

How to make burst cherry tomato sauce:

The cooking part of this dish is very simple. It only requires you to chop garlic and the rest is just adding the ingredients into a pan and waiting for it to simmer away and letting those fresh cherry tomatoes burst open to release their juices. It makes a great easy meal that even kids can help make.

When the ingredients are first added to the pan before simmering.

This is after everything has simmered for a bit and the tomatoes released their juices.

While this burst cherry tomato pasta is absolutely perfect on its own, it also makes a great side dish to chicken. If you have someone you cook for who needs meat with their meals than this is a great add on to that.

This is the canned cherry tomatoes I mentioned above. So helpful to have available for a quick meal like this!

When serving this dish, it is always best with copious amounts of fresh Parmesan. There are very few ingredients in this dish so make sure the ingredients you use are the best quality available, including the Parmesan.

That's it! This dish is really simple and definitely a keeper for a quick weeknight meal.

Want to make this cherry tomato pasta ahead of time?

There is nothing that makes me happier than having dinner already prepared, or mostly prepared and just waiting for me to just heat it and then eat. This cherry tomato recipe can easily be made ahead of time and it is so easy to do.

Here is how to make the sauce ahead of time:

Prepare the tomato sauce following the recipe below.
Let it cool completely.
Pout it into a container with a tight fitting lid and place in the fridge. Make sure the lid is tight fitting because you do not want your fridge to smell of garlic 🙂
When ready to use, scoop your sauce into a medium sauce pan and heat and low until fully warmed through.
Serve over your favorite pasta.

For more easy meal ideas:

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5 from 2 votes