There’s something about a silky tomato and butter sauce that’s hard to beat. Sweet cherry tomatoes, butter, garlic, and basil come together to create a velvety sauce that coats every piece of pasta. Is there a more perfect combination? I don’t think so.
I’ve also left a few notes at the bottom in case you’d like to tweak the recipe or make it your own.
1 pound (500 g) cherry tomatoes (preferably grape or other sweet cherry tomatoes)
7 garlic cloves, peeled
½ teaspoon salt
10 fresh basil leaves
5 tablespoons (70 g) butter
8 ounces (225 g) short pasta of your choice
Instructions
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and quarter the garlic cloves.
- Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan or wide pot. Add the tomatoes and cook over high heat until they're nicely blistered and lightly charred, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic and basil and cook together for 2 minutes.
- Add the butter (you can cut it into cubes, but there's no need) and continue cooking over high heat for 10–15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are completely soft. Season with the salt.
- Meanwhile, cook the pasta in plenty of salted boiling water until fully cooked. Don't discard the pasta water—you'll need some of it later.
- Transfer the tomato mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until completely smooth.
- Return the sauce to the pan. Add the cooked pasta (without the cooking water) along with ⅔ cup of the reserved pasta water. Cook everything together for about 5 minutes, until the pasta absorbs the sauce and all of its flavor.
Pasta in a Cherry Tomato Butter Sauce
Notes
- Serve with grated Parmesan, if you like.
- The sauce can be made ahead and stored in the refrigerator. When you're ready to serve, simply warm it in a pan with freshly cooked pasta and cook together for a few minutes.
- Like a little heat? Add ½ fresh chili pepper when cooking the tomatoes and blend it into the sauce. Or stir in ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes when you add the salt.
- Can you use less butter? Absolutely. The sauce won't be quite as velvety, but it will still be delicious. Use as much or as little as you like, depending on how rich you'd like the sauce to be.
- If you only have large tomatoes, sweet Roma tomatoes work especially well. Cut them into large chunks and prepare the recipe the same way. If you're using another variety, add 2 tablespoons of date syrup (silan) when you add the basil to balance the acidity.
