If you're looking for an easy pasta recipe that will put a smile on just about everyone's face, this burst grape tomato pasta with basil is for you! I've made this every weekend for the past six weeks, and not only is it simple, but the flavor combination is out of this world. The dish comes together in under 30 minutes, making it perfect for a weeknight meal or any time you want something that tastes great but doesn't take a lot of time, effort, or ingredients.
The key to this pasta is to use good quality grape tomatoes, and really give them time to burst because the juices make up a big part of the sauce. You'll also want to make sure to use FRESH basil instead of dried—trust me!
Jump to RecipeBurst Tomato Pasta with Basil
If you don't count salt and pepper, you only need SIX ingredients for this magical dish to come to life:
- Linguine (spaghetti or fettuccine will also do)
- Grape tomatoes (cherry tomatoes work too)
- Fresh basil
- Fresh garlic
- Freshly grated parmesan
- Extra virgin olive oil
Notice the keyword here is fresh!? The fresher the better for the ingredients you choose—you'll really notice a big difference in the overall taste and quality of the dish with fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, and fresh parmesan.
What to Serve with Burst Tomato Pasta
I have a few recipes that are the perfect sides to this linguine dish, including the ultimate cheesy garlic bread or my caesar salad dressing without anchovies. It's also lovely with some toasted baguette slices!
Other Easy Vegetarian Meals
This linguine recipe is a great place to start, but I have plenty of other easy vegetarian meals you might want to add next.
Start here:
- EASY VEGETARIAN BLACK BEAN TACO SALAD WITH TACO SAUCE DRESSING
- SUPER EASY CHEESY TORTELLINI BAKE
- EASY ASIAGO AND BROCCOLI SHELLS PASTA
Burst Tomato Pasta with Basil
Ingredients
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced or finely chopped
- 2 cups grape tomatoes cherry tomatoes work too
- 7 oz linguine measured dry, approx 206 g
- ¼ cup fresh basil packed and chopped, plus more to taste
- ¼ cup parmesan finely grated, for topping, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt plus more, to taste
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, according to directions, until al dente. Drain pasta and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat your olive oil on medium heat for two or three minutes. Turn the heat to medium low and add your minced garlic. Cook for ONE minute, careful not to let it burn.
- After one minute, add your grape tomatoes. Add salt and pepper, stirring to coat the tomatoes with the olive oil and garlic.
- Cook for seven to ten minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start bursting and release their juices (this is important because the juices are part of the sauce). You can break a few of the tomatoes to release the juices early on. Once there is more juice in the pan, you can turn the heat to medium—but don't do this until there's enough liquid or the garlic will burn.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan with the tomato sauce. Toss well. Add the fresh, chopped basil and toss again. Season with more salt and pepper, to taste.
- Top with freshly grated parmesan cheese for serving.
Nutrition
I hope you love my burst tomato pasta with basil and that it becomes a regular in your house like it has in mine!
Oh, and if you want to see this pasta in action, you can find it on my TikTok!
Until next time,
Chelsea XO
(Oh, and if you love this recipe, I think you'll like this creamy chipotle pasta with spinach too!)
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