Cherry Tomato Burst Pasta

Shopping List:

• 1 lb pasta of your choice

• 2 pints of cherry tomatoes

• ½ yellow onion

• 2 cloves of garlic

• Olive Oil

• Kosher salt

• Black pepper

• A few leaves of basil

• Grated parmesan

The Short Story:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt and add the pasta. Cook until al dente

2. Meanwhile, add a glug of olive oil to your favorite large fry or saute pan over med-high heat

3. Add chopped garlic and stir for no more than 30 seconds. 

4. Add half a chopped onion and a few shakes/cranks of black pepper with a dash of salt. Cook while stirring occasionally for a few minutes

5. Add the tomatoes into the pan and stir to make sure everything is incorporated

6. Let the tomatoes cook down, untouched for 5 minutes then add a few more pinches of salt/pepper and give the pan a good stir. Let the tomatoes continue to cook down for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally

7. If some tomatoes haven’t burst yet, either crush them with the side of a wooden spoon or use a potato masher. 

8. Chop or tear basil into small strips and toss them into the pan

9. Add pasta with the sauce, toss or stir to combine

10. Serve with a generous sprinkling of grated parmesan on top

Pics or it didn’t happen

The Long Story

I love this dish for the fact that it is extremely simple and has few ingredients but packs a punch in flavor. I first discovered this dish when my local grocery store was doing a special of 2 for 1 on cherry tomatoes and thought it would be fun to make my own ‘tomato sauce’ in a pan. This recipe is fantastic for the spring and summer months where the cherry tomatoes start coming into season and the bright colors from the sauce match perfectly with the evening sun. 

Pasta: If I were to choose, I go for penne pasta. It has a smaller surface area so every noodle can get coated in the sauce and easier to toss into a saute pan after cooking. I don’t recommend rigatoni pasta, too large and overcrowds the pan so you barely get to see the tomatoes. 

Tomatoes: Color is everything so I tend to grab the mix of yellow, red and purple tomato pints instead of ones that are all a solid red color. Taste-wise, there is no difference on yellow vs red cherry tomatoes. 

Onions: I love this recipe in the summer for the fact that not only do the tomatoes come into season but the Walla Walla sweet onions do too. I prefer yellow over white so when the sweet onions come into season, that’s the only onion stored in my kitchen for the rest of the summer. 

Parmesan: For a recipe like this that only takes about 15 - 20 minutes, I splurge on getting a block of parm and generously grate cheese on top after plating. A block of parmesan actually stays good in the fridge for several months so there is no reason not to break out the cheese wedge for dishes like this.