Lemony Cherry Tomato Pasta
- Prep 5 minutes
- Cook 15 minutes
- Total 20 minutes
Lemony Cherry Tomato Pasta is a pasta recipe on Avoteb. Plan on 20 minutes from start to plate. The amounts and the method are both on this page.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta, (I used pappardelle)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or more/less to taste
- 1 pound (450g) cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon
- optional garnishes: chopped fresh basil, freshly-grated Parmesan, extra black pepper
Method
Prep the pasta water. Raise a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
Sauté the aromatics. While that cooks, heat the olive oil in a wide skillet over a medium burner. Stir in the garlic, tomato paste, red pepper flakes and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
Leave the pasta and start the sauce. Tip in the cherry tomatoes, salt, and a few twists of black pepper to the skillet and stir briefly to combine. At the same time, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente. Leave the tomato sauce for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes as the tomatoes begin to cook down. Reserve about 3/4 cup of the starchy pasta water before draining the pasta.
Turn the pasta. Tip in the drained pasta to the skillet, along with a few splashes of reserved pasta water. Turn until the pasta is glossy and evenly coated, adding more pasta water as needed so the sauce lightly clings to the pasta.
Finish and serve. Lift from heat and toss with the lemon zest and juice. Taste and season with additional salt, black pepper, or red pepper flakes as needed. Plate warm, garnished with basil, Parmesan, and/or extra black pepper if you’d like. Enjoy!
