The most classic of all combinations comes together in this quick, juicy tomato basil pasta. It makes an excellent meatless meal that is satisfying, easy to make and absolutely delicious!Note: recipe yields 4 servings.
Prep Time5 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time15 minutesmins
Course: pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Tomato basil pasta
Servings: 4
Calories: 285kcal
Author: Katia
Ingredients
Pasta
½ lb(8oz/220 grams)pasta (spaghetti, penne...)
Tomato Basil Sauce
2 TablespoonsExtra virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
3garlic cloves, minced or grated
¼teaspoon chili flakes, use a bit more if you wish
2 ½ cups(approx 12oz/350 grams)cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
¼ teaspoonfine salt, plus more to taste
⅛teaspoonfreshly cracked black pepper
1 cup(lightly packed)fresh basil leaves, shredded
grated parmesan cheese, to serve (optional)
Instructions
Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook al dente according to package directions.
Drain and reserve 1 cup of pasta water (you might need some starchy cooking water to toss your pasta if the tomato sauce is not moist enough).
Tomato and basil sauce
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and the chili flakes and cook for one minute until fragrant.
Toss in the tomatoes, the salt and some cracked black pepper. Cook over medium-high heat for about 6-7 minutes, until the tomatoes burst and begin to stick slightly to the bottom of the pan and their juice get thicker.
Add the basil leaves, give a good stir. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed. If the pasta is not done yet, turn the heat off and set aside.
When ready, add the drained pasta to the skillet, toss until well combined and coated, and cook for about 30 seconds over high heat (adding a touch of the reserved cooking water only if you need extra moisture).
Turn the heat off and divide the pasta among plates and serve with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, basil and grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
Tomatoes: you can use Roma tomatoes or tomatoes on the vine instead of cherry tomatoes. You need about 6 tomatoes to make this recipe. Make sure you diced them and remove excess seeds and water before cooking. The tomato sauce might be more watery anyway, make sure you cook it until reduced.Pasta cooking water: I always suggest to reserve some starchy pasta water, it's so useful when it's time to toss the pasta along with the other ingredients and helps to emulsify the pasta sauce making everything nice and moist. In this recipe, if the tomatoes are very juicy you don't need it, and I didn't when I cooked mine. But it's always a good tip reserving some starchy water... just in case. : )Nutrition facts: the nutrition values are for one serving and they are based on an online nutrition calculator. It’s an estimate only and it should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please see my disclosure policies.