Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta Recipe
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This simple roasted cherry tomato pasta is brimming with deep sweet tomato flavor, roasted garlic, rosemary and thyme. The luscious sauce flows into the tiny pasta ridges for the ultimate burst of flavor in each bite. Enjoy hot or cold as a pasta salad brightened up with a fresh squeeze of lemon and fragrant basil. A quick and easy go to recipe not to be missed!
Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta
The recipe calls for only a few common ingredients like cherry tomatoes, garlic, herbs, pasta and a touch of olive oil. Although the dish is perfect in its simplest form, you can expand on the concept by adding in some salty vegan feta, a grating of vegan parmesan, creamy ricotta or some of our fresh dairy free mozzarella. Sautéed dark leafy greens like baby spinach could be added for a nice nutritional boost.
The Tomatoes
Small juicy cherry tomatoes in a mix of colors make the best roasted tomato pasta sauce. It’s light and luscious but also rustic with little bites of burst tomatoes throughout. I prefer a high roasting temperature of 425″F, this heat helps the tomatoes burst in about 30 minutes or so and also concentrate all those natural sugars.
About the Pasta
I love using a small shape pasta here similar in size to the cherry tomatoes. It’s important to choose something with ridges for the sauce to settle into. My favorite shapes have always been orecchiette rigate and shells made with Italian grown durum wheat semolina for that perfect al dente and chewy texture. Remember to generously salt the pasta water and do not rinse, the starches will help the sauce cling and coat the pasta beautifully!
Garlic
It’s what takes this dish from really good to amazing. I used an entire head of purple garlic, about 10 large cloves lightly smashed, just enough to remove its papery skin. Just like cherry tomatoes the garlic gets soft, creamy and naturally sweet in the oven, and although I do remove it at the end of roasting it’s absolutely delicious on a piece of crusty bread or focaccia.
Recipe Tips + FAQ
- Spice it Up – Keep it spicy with a healthy pinch of red hot chili flakes because everything in life is better with a little attitude 😉
- Mix in ideas – Vegan feta or parmesan (I love Violife), this fresh dairy free mozzarella or cashew ricotta, sautéed baby spinach, asparagus, artichoke hearts, roasted fennel or any of your favorite veggies.
- Does roasting tomatoes change their flavor? – Yes, the roasting process makes tomatoes taste better because it concentrates their natural sugars resulting in a richer more intense flavor profile without acidity. This is especially true in combination with lots of garlic and woody herbs like rosemary and thyme.
- Should I seed the tomatoes before roasting? – Absolutely not. All cherry tomatoes go straight into the pan whole.
- Can I use grape tomatoes instead of cherry? – Not recommended, grape tomatoes have very tough skins and aren’t juicy at all so they won’t burst into the beautiful luscious sauce that cherry tomatoes do.
- How do you flavor the pasta? – There’s only one way to deeply flavor your pasta and it’s happening during the boiling process. Your pasta water should taste like the sea, yes that means a generous amount of salt added to the boiling water.
- Make it gluten free – Although the roasted tomato sauce is naturally gluten free it is up to you to choose a gluten free pasta when recreating this recipe at home.
- Serving suggestions – This pasta is already perfect in my humble opinion but feel free to go wild with a drizzle of this avocado pesto, basil pesto or a sprinkling of toasted breadcrumbs I usually love to sprinkle over my vegan mac and cheese.
Fresh Tomato Recipes…
- Heirloom Tomato Tart
- Roasted Heirloom Tomato Soup
- Yellow Tomato Sauce
- Bruschetta Pasta Salad
- Tomato Chickpea Salad
- Tomato Basil Pasta
- Tomato Bruschetta.
how to make roasted cherry tomato pasta
Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb cherry tomatoes
- 10 cloves garlic (lightly smashed and paper discarded)
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 10 sprigs thyme half a bunch
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 3/4 lb orecchiette rigate shells or small shape pasta
- 1 lemon zested + juiced
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves
- S & P to taste
- Vegan parmesan for serving optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425”F.
- Rinse the tomatoes and discard any stems.2.5 lb cherry tomatoes
- In a large roasting dish combine the cherry tomatoes with the garlic, rosemary, thyme and olive oil. Sprinkle with a good pinch of coarse sea salt. Mix well.2.5 lb cherry tomatoes, 10 cloves garlic, 2-3 Tbsp olive oil, 2 sprigs rosemary, 10 sprigs thyme, 1 pinch red pepper flakes, S & P to taste
- Roast in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes until all the tomatoes have burst and released their juices. Discard the thyme and rosemary sprigs and fish out the garlic cloves (reserve them for later to slather on toast). Brighten up with a squeeze of fresh lemon and some zest.1 lemon
- Meanwhile bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season generously with salt and boil the pasta until al dente or to the tooth. Drain the pasta and do not rinse)3/4 lb orecchiette rigate
- Combine the pasta with the roasted tomatoes and all the juices. Hit it with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and some zest. Adjust seasonings with salt, pepper and chili flakes. Serve hot or cold with fresh basil and vegan parmesan if desired.2.5 lb cherry tomatoes, 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, Vegan parmesan for serving, 3/4 lb orecchiette rigate
Notes
- Mix in ideas - Vegan feta or parmesan (I love Violife), this fresh dairy free mozzarella or cashew ricotta, sautéed baby spinach, asparagus, artichoke hearts, roasted fennel or any of your favorite veggies.
- Does roasting tomatoes change their flavor? - Yes, the roasting process makes tomatoes taste better because it concentrates their naturally sugars resulting in a richer more intense flavor profile without any acidity. This is especially true in combination with lots of garlic and woody herbs like rosemary and thyme.
- Should I seed the tomatoes before roasting? - Absolutely not. All cherry tomatoes go straight into the pan whole.
- Can I use grape tomatoes instead of cherry? - Not recommended, grape tomatoes have very tough skins and aren't juicy at all so they won't burst into the beautiful luscious sauce that cherry tomatoes do.
- How do you flavor the pasta? - There's only one way to deeply flavor your pasta and it's happening during the boiling process. Your pasta water should taste like the sea, yes that means a generous amount of salt added to the boiling water.
- Make it gluten free - Although the roasted tomato sauce is naturally gluten free it is up to you to choose a gluten free pasta when recreating this recipe.
Nutrition
The most delicious thing I’ve made this year and my house smells like a fancy Italian restaurant right now. Soooooo delicious 😋 thank you for sharing this recipe with us, it’s perfect!
Very tasty, will make it again. I added capers and artichoke hearts and served it with spaghetti.
One of the best recipes I’ve made. I didn’t have orichette so I used shells. Only add was capers. Planning to make this for company. Great hot or cold. 5 stars +