With gardening season pretty much wrapping up, I'm overwhelmed with tomatoes that were harvested in a flurry before temperatures dropped. My Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce with Pasta provides a quick-to-prepare solution that is perfect for a weeknight meal now -- or for stowing away in the freezer for a bright and cozy meal months from now. About the time when next spring's seed catalogs start showing up in the mailbox!
I wanted to create something that could be quickly prepared using pantry staples like tomato paste, capers, anchovies, thyme, shallots, garlic and Parmesan, and this delivers on preserving the bright fresh taste only found in sun-ripened sweet cherry tomatoes. For texture, crunch and flavor, I topped this with a toasted breadcrumb, Parmesan and basil crumble.
(And honestly? If you don't have fresh-from-the-garden cherry tomatoes, by all means, please use cherry tomatoes from the produce aisle at your local grocer. I like NatureSweet brand for the variety they offer.)
Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce is best when using "cherry" tomatoes; grape tomatoes, while great for snacking, have a thicker skin that doesn't cook down the same way cherry tomatoes do. The skin on cherry tomatoes nearly melts, creating a silky sauce that coats the Campanile pasta like butter.
Regarding pasta shapes, there are many that can be used here. (See below.) I chose Campanelle pasta because of its shape that holds the sauce so well and looks so pretty served. Campanelle pasta is shaped like a small cone with ruffly edges. In Italian, Campenelle translates to "bell-shaped flowers". It is also known as Gigli pasta, which is the Italian word for "lily".
Speaking of flowers and lilies, I'm right back at looking forward to the arrival of seed catalogs -- over a bowl of Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce and Pasta.
Ingredients
- Campanelle (or Gigli) pasta
- panko breadcrumbs
- grated Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese
- fresh basil
- extra virgin olive oil
- mixed cherry tomatoes
- shallot
- fresh garlic cloves
- white wine
- tomato paste
- honey
- anchovy fillets
- fresh thyme
- red pepper flakes
- tiny capers
- pasta water
See recipe card for quantities.
Jump to RecipeInstructions
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
In a large skillet over medium heat, toast panko breadcrumbs until light brown.
Transfer to a small bowl. Add ¼ cup cheese and 2 tablespoons chopped basil. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil.
Using fingers, work the ingredients together until it is a consistent crumble. Reserve.
Heat remaining olive oil, reserving 1 tablespoon.
In the same skillet over medium heat. Add the cherry tomatoes.
Cook tomatoes until bursting, stirring regularly, about 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a small bowl.
To the same skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Saute shallots until softened and translucent.
Add minced garlic and saute for a minute. Add wine and cook until reduced by half.
Add in tomato paste, honey, anchovies, thyme and pepper flakes,
Stir until fragrant and tomato paste has darkened.
Stir in reserved cherry tomatoes,
Add ¼ cup grated Parmesancheese, ¼ cup basil and capers.
Cook sauce until thickened.
Slowly add reserved pasta water in increments until desired consistency is reached.
Add the pasta to the skillet and stir to combine.
Serve dressed pasta topped with reserved parmesan basil breadcrumbs. Top with additional cheese if desired.
Hint: Sometimes a few of the cherry tomatoes will take a while to burst. Give them a nudge by simply pressing down lightly with the back of the wooden spoon.
You may or may not need to use the reserved pasta water. Whenever I make pasta, I make it a habit to simply dip a measuring cup into the pot before draining the pasta and reserve a cup if needed.
The pasta water contains starch that serves as a natural thickener to help bind sauces, making them more cohesive, and pasta water also adds a layer of salt flavor to the dish from having cooked the the pasta in salted water. According to pasta producer Barilla, by adding the pasta water to final cooked sauce it helps the sauce cling to the pasta. (Who knew?)
Substitutions & Variations
This recipe serves as a great base for switch ups and variations.
- Pasta Shape -- I used Campanelle pasta -- also known as Gigli -- but it will work well with farfalle (bow tie), penne, fusilli, ziti or rigatoni -- or shapes like chili (conchiglie) or gemelli. All are good for holding sauces.
- Cherry Tomatoes -- cherry tomatoes are a "must" for this dish. The skin on grape tomatoes is too thick.
- Breadcrumbs -- I used panko, but use any stale bread and put it in a blender to break down to crumbs. Or, even used prepared croutons and grind them up in a food processor or blender. Or put them in a ziplock bag and roll over with a rolling pin.
- Add Olives -- for a briny touch, add a ½ cup of halved Castelvetrano or Kalamata olives when adding back in the reserved burst tomatoes
- Sun-dried Tomatoes -- for a rich sauce that embodies the flavor of "tomato", add ⅓ cup diced sun-dried tomatoes when adding tomato paste. Use the marinating oil in place of olive oil throughout the recipe.
- Roasted Red Peppers -- I love the slightly smoky flavor that roasted red peppers bring to recipes and they would be perfect here. Add 1 diced roasted red pepper from a jar when adding the burst cherry tomatoes back to the skillet. For added smoky flavor, add a few pinches of smoked sweet paprika when adding the tomato paste.
- Spinach -- add 3 packed cups of fresh baby spinach right at the end of cooking and cook only until just wilted. This will add texture, earthiness -- and nutrients -- to the sauce. Don't overcook it though, otherwise it can present a bitter taste and compromise the sweetness of the fresh burst cherry tomatoes.
- Ricotta, Burrata or Fresh Mozzarella -- top the dressed pasta with a dollop of fresh ricotta, burrata or a few slices of fresh mozzarella
- Make it Spicy -- instead of a pinch of red pepper flakes, increase it to ¼ to ½ of a teaspoon of red pepper flakes
- Make it Creamy -- add a ⅓ to ½ cup o heavy whipping cream to the skillet, cooking it down until thickened prior to adding the burst tomatoes back to the skillet.
- Fresh Thyme -- substitute a heaping ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Protein -- add a can of rinsed cannellini (white) beans or 7 ounces of drained oil packed tuna -- or both!
- Vegetarian and Vegan -- leave out the anchovies for a vegetarian entree
- Vegan -- leave out the anchovies and cheese, and replace with olives for brine and your favorite dairy free cheese
- Gluten Free -- use your favorite gluten free pasta
Equipment
- pasta pot or stock pot
- large skillet (13")
Storage
Store burst cherry tomato sauce in the refrigerator for up to four days.
For freezing, store in an airtight container or ziplock bag in the freezer for up to four months. Thaw completely before reheating.
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Burst Cherry Tomato Sauce and Pasta
Equipment
- pasta pot or soup pot
- large (13") skillet
Ingredients
- 12 ounces Campanelle pasta (or Gigli pasta), cooked according to package directions
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup finely grated Parmesan or Grana Padano cheese plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons plus ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
- 2 teaspoons plus ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1-½ pounds mixed cherry tomatoes not grape tomatoes
- 1 shallot minced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup white wine
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 3 anchovy fillets minced (optional)
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme minced
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon tiny capers minced if large
- Reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Prepare pasta according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, toast panko breadcrumbs until light brown. Transfer to a small bowl. Add ¼ cup cheese and 2 tablespoons chopped basil. Drizzle with 2 teaspoons olive oil. Using fingers, work the ingredients together until it is a consistent crumble. Reserve.
- Heat remaining olive oil, reserving 1 tablespoon, In the same skillet over medium heat. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until bursting, stirring regularly, about 10 minutes. Transfer mixture to a small bowl.
- To the same skillet, add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Saute shallots until softened and translucent. Add minced garlic and saute for a minute. Add wine and cook until reduced by half.
- Stir in tomato paste, honey, anchovies, thyme and pepper flakes, stirring until fragrant and tomato paste has darkened.
- Stir in reserved cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup cheese, ¼ cup basil and capers. Cook until thickened. Slowly add reserved pasta water in increments until desired consistency is reached.
- Add the pasta to the skillet and stir to combine.
- Serve dressed pasta with reserved parmesan basil breadcrumbs. Top with additional cheese if desired.
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