Who said you always need to have meat in your pasta? Not when you’re using a sauce that is as light and flavor-packed as this one. This 15-Minute Cherry Tomato Pasta certainly ticks those boxes, and yes, it will fill you up too!
Cherry tomatoes, when they’re in-season, should always be included in most of your meals (that’s just me thinking 😉 ) — for appetizers, brunch, snacks, or in this case, for the main dish.
This cherry tomatoes pasta recipe showcases why — they’re sweet, juicy, light, and combined with the olives and garlic, delivers a refreshing and delicious sauce for the pasta.
The best part, though; you can sit down and enjoy it in no more than 15 minutes. So, start preparing now!
Ingredients
- Cherry tomatoes – I strongly suggest using fresh cherry tomatoes instead of canned ones. You would need about fifteen pieces for this recipe for two.
- Olives – you need green, pitted olives. Don’t forget to rinse and drain them before chopping.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic, not the powdered one.
- Salt and ground black pepper – for seasoning.
- Olive oil – extra virgin olive oil, if possible.
- Pasta – you can use any type of pasta that you prefer, but I find that long ones are better for this kind of sauce (i.e., spaghetti, fettuccine, etc.).
Preparation
Start by boiling salted water for pasta, as per package instructions; prepare the sauce while cooking the pasta on the side.
Place a medium or large skillet over medium-high heat and pour olive oil into it.
Once the oil is ready, add garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant (photo 1).
Add cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper (photo 2).
Mix and cover the pan with a lid. Adjust heat to medium and bring fresh tomatoes to a boil.
Adjust heat to low and simmer for about five minutes.
Add chopped olives (photo 3).
Mix, then cover again with a lid and simmer for two more minutes; taste and adjust seasoning.
Add cooked spaghetti and mix to coat the pasta with cherry tomato sauce (photo 4).
Serve, with some fresh parsley or grated cheese on top, if desired.
Helpful tips
- Cook the pasta and the sauce at the same time. If your pasta cooks for more than 9 minutes, then adjust your timings.
For reference, the spaghetti that I used in this recipe requires 9 minutes to cook — so I start with my cherry tomato sauce when the pasta water is close to boiling.
- Remember to adjust the seasoning after adding the olives. It is also the right time to add fresh herbs if you prefer to have them.
Recipe Variation
- Herbs. You can add dried or fresh herbs in the cherry tomato sauce (like parsley, oregano, etc.) if that’s what you prefer.
- Chili flakes. If you want a bit of kick in the sauce, add chili flakes with the cherry tomatoes, then adjust before turning the heat off.
- No olives. If you are not a fan of green olives, feel free to skip them. Alternatively, you can add black olives as well.
- Capers. You want more earthy flavor on your pasta with cherry tomatoes? Then add a teaspoon of capers in there — don’t forget to rinse them first, of course.
So give it a try tonight and let me know what you think!
Happy cooking!
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15-Minute Cherry Tomato Pasta Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 & 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, quartered, (about 15 pieces)
- 8 whole green olives, pitted, chopped
- 5 ounces spaghetti
- salt and pepper, to season
Instructions
Preparing pasta:
- Cook spaghetti as per package instruction.
- Start by boiling salted water for pasta, then proceed as indicated; prepare the sauce while cooking the pasta on the side.
Preparing cherry tomato sauce:
- Place a medium or large skillet over medium-high heat and pour olive oil into it.
- Once the oil is ready, add garlic and cook until it becomes fragrant.
- Add cherry tomatoes and season with salt and pepper.
- Mix and cover the pan with a lid. Adjust heat to medium and bring fresh tomatoes to a boil.
- Adjust heat to low and simmer for about five minutes.
- Add chopped olives.
- Mix, then cover again with a lid and simmer for two more minutes; taste and adjust seasoning.
- Add cooked spaghetti and mix to coat the pasta with cherry tomato sauce.
- Serve, with some fresh parsley or grated cheese on top, if desired.
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: Cook the pasta and the sauce at the same time. If your pasta cooks for more than 9 minutes, then adjust your timings. For reference, the spaghetti that I used in this recipe requires 9 minutes to cook — so I start with my sauce when the pasta water is close to boiling.
- Cook’s Tip #2: Remember to adjust the seasoning after adding the olives. It is also the right time to add fresh herbs if you prefer to have them.
- Recipe Variation #1: You can add dried or fresh herbs to the sauce like parsley or oregano.
- Recipe Variation #2: If you want a bit of kick in the cherry tomato sauce, add chili flakes with the cherry tomatoes, then just adjust before turning the heat off.
- Recipe Variation #3: Feel free to skip green olives if you are not a fan of them. Alternatively, you can use black olives as a substitute for this fresh tomato pasta instead.
- Recipe Variation #4: You want more earthy flavor? Then add a teaspoon of capers in there — don’t forget to rinse them first, of course.
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