Tomato Garlic Pasta: A Simple 30-Minute Recipe

Craving a delicious, restaurant-quality meal that’s ready in under 30 minutes? This Tomato Garlic Pasta is your answer. It’s a simple, elegant dish that transforms a handful of fresh ingredients into an incredibly flavorful weeknight dinner. We’re talking about sweet burst cherry tomatoes, fragrant garlic, fresh basil, and perfectly cooked pasta coming together in a light yet satisfying sauce.

This recipe is designed for the enthusiastic home cook who appreciates the magic of simple, high-quality ingredients. Forget complicated steps and long cooking times; this is about maximum flavor with minimal effort.

Why You’ll Fall in Love With This Tomato Garlic Pasta

There are countless reasons this dish will become a staple in your kitchen. It’s the perfect combination of speed, simplicity, and spectacular taste.

• Incredibly Fast: From start to finish, you can have this beautiful meal on the table in just 30 minutes.
• Minimal Ingredients: It relies on pantry staples and fresh produce, proving you don’t need a long list to create something amazing.
• Full of Flavor: Sautéing the garlic and bursting the cherry tomatoes creates a sauce that’s naturally sweet, savory, and aromatic.
• Versatile: This recipe is a perfect canvas. You can easily customize it with your favorite protein or veggies.

The Magic of Simple Ingredients

The beauty of this Tomato Garlic Pasta lies in its simplicity. We let a few key ingredients shine without overcomplicating things.

Choosing Your Tomatoes

Fresh cherry or grape tomatoes are the star of the show. When cooked, their skins burst, releasing their sweet juices which form the base of our sauce. Look for tomatoes that are ripe, firm, and vibrant in color for the best flavor.

The Perfect Pasta

We recommend a long pasta like spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini. These shapes are perfect for twirling and catching the light, flavorful sauce. However, feel free to use what you have on hand; penne or fusilli also work wonderfully.

Step-by-Step Guide to Your Best Tomato Garlic Pasta

Follow these simple steps for a flawless pasta dish. The key is to have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go before you start cooking.

1. Cook the Pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Just before draining, reserve about one cup of the starchy pasta water.
2. Sauté the Aromatics: While the pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium heat. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until the garlic is fragrant, but not browned.
3. Burst the Tomatoes: Add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 8-10 minutes, until the tomatoes start to soften and burst, releasing their juices. You can gently press on them with the back of a spoon to help them along.



4. Combine Everything: Drain the pasta and add it directly to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Add the fresh basil and half of the Parmesan cheese. Toss everything together, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water as needed to create a silky, luscious sauce that coats every strand of pasta.
5. Serve and Garnish: Divide the pasta among serving bowls. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan cheese and more fresh basil. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Tips for Success

A few simple tips can elevate this dish from great to unforgettable.

• Don’t Burn the Garlic: Cook the garlic gently to infuse the oil with its flavor. Burnt garlic will make the entire dish bitter.
• The Magic of Pasta Water: Reserved pasta water is liquid gold! The starch in the water helps the sauce cling to the pasta, creating a creamier texture without any cream.
• Use Fresh Ingredients: With so few ingredients, their quality matters. Use fresh garlic, ripe tomatoes, and fresh basil for the most vibrant flavor. If you enjoy flavorful garlic dishes, you might also love our creamy garlic chicken and rice.

Delicious Variations to Try

While this recipe is fantastic as is, it’s also incredibly easy to customize.

• Add Protein: Stir in grilled chicken, shrimp, or a can of drained chickpeas for a heartier meal. It would pair beautifully with something like a simple sheet-pan parmesan crusted chicken.
• Make it Creamy: Add a splash of heavy cream or a dollop of mascarpone cheese at the end for a richer sauce.
• Add Veggies: Sautéed spinach, zucchini, or mushrooms would be excellent additions.

If you’re a fan of simple yet impressive pasta dishes, you should definitely check out our viral marry me tortellini next!

Frequently Asked Questions

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We’d Love to Hear From You!

We hope you love this simple and delicious Tomato Garlic Pasta recipe! If you make it, please leave a comment below to let us know how it turned out. Don’t forget to save this recipe to your favorite board on Pinterest and share it with your friends and family!

Tomato Garlic Pasta Recipe

FL Recipes

Tomato Garlic Pasta: A Simple 30-Minute Recipe

This quick and easy Tomato Garlic Pasta recipe is the perfect weeknight dinner. Made with fresh cherry tomatoes, garlic, basil, and Parmesan, this flavorful dish is ready in just 30 minutes and is sure to become a family favorite.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Servings: 4 people

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean

Calories: 485

Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

• 12 oz Spaghetti or other long pasta
• 3 tbsp Olive Oil Extra virgin
• 6 cloves Garlic thinly sliced
• 1/4 tsp Red Pepper Flakes or more, to taste
• 2 pints Cherry Tomatoes
• 1 tsp Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp Black Pepper freshly ground
• 1/2 cup Fresh Basil chopped
• 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated, plus more for serving

Equipment

• 1 Large Pot
• 1 Large Skillet

Method

 

1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
2. While pasta cooks, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add sliced garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.
3. Add the cherry tomatoes to the skillet, season with salt and pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and burst, creating a sauce.
4. Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the tomato sauce. Add the fresh basil and half of the Parmesan cheese. Toss to combine, adding splashes of reserved pasta water to help the sauce cling to the pasta.
5. Serve immediately, garnished with the remaining Parmesan cheese and extra fresh basil.

Nutrition

Calories: 485kcalProtein: 16gFat: 18gFiber: 6g

Notes

Tip 1: Don't overcrowd the pan when cooking the tomatoes; give them space to burst and caramelize.
Tip 2: The starchy pasta water is essential for creating a silky, restaurant-quality sauce. Don't skip reserving it!
Tip 3: Use a good quality olive oil, as its flavor really shines through in this simple sauce.

Keyword cherry tomato pasta,quick pasta recipe,tomato garlic pasta

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