20 Minute Tomato Pasta
Whip up a vibrant and flavorful pasta in just 20 minutes with this zesty tomato creation! Bursting with the sweetness of ripe cherry tomatoes and the aromatic kick of garlic, this dish is elevated by a sprinkle of fresh herbs. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, it’s as delightful as it is simple!
Prep
10
min
Cook
20
min
Serves
2
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 2🥬Fresh Produce(6)
- fresh basil
- cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
- loads of garlic
- lemon juice
- lemon zest
- fresh parsley
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- cold butter
- parmesan
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- cooked pasta
- salty pasta water
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- a pinch of salt
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- white wine
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Fry loads of garlic in olive oil.
- 2
Cut cherry tomatoes into halves and add them to the pan with a pinch of salt.
- 3
Cook until tomatoes soften and break apart.
- 4
Add lemon zest and white wine, reduce the wine by half.
- 5
Turn off the heat and add cold butter, then stir to emulsify.
- 6
Add cooked pasta and salty pasta water.
- 7
Mix in fresh basil, fresh parsley, parmesan, and lemon juice.
- 8
Adjust with more pasta water if necessary and mix well.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Fry garlic at 250-275°F oil temperature to avoid burning while extracting maximum flavor compounds - garlic burns at 280°F and becomes bitter.technique250-275°F
- ✓Salt cherry tomatoes immediately after cutting to draw out moisture via osmosis, concentrating flavors and preventing watery sauce.timingimmediate salting
- ✓Reduce white wine by exactly half to concentrate flavors while maintaining 6-8% acidity for proper emulsification with butter.technique50% reduction
- ✓Add cold butter off-heat and whisk vigorously to create a stable emulsion - hot pan breaks the emulsion and causes separation.technique
- ✓Reserve pasta water at 1-2% starch content (cloudy but not thick) because this starch concentration binds sauce to pasta without making it gluey.ingredient1-2% starch content
Share this recipe
Prep
10
min
Cook
20
min
Serves
2
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
20 Minute Tomato Pasta
Whip up a vibrant and flavorful pasta in just 20 minutes with this zesty tomato creation! Bursting with the sweetness of ripe cherry tomatoes and the aromatic kick of garlic, this dish is elevated by a sprinkle of fresh herbs. Perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, it’s as delightful as it is simple!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 2🥬Fresh Produce(6)
- fresh basil
- cherry tomatoes, cut into halves
- loads of garlic
- lemon juice
- lemon zest
- fresh parsley
🥛Dairy & Eggs(2)
- cold butter
- parmesan
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- cooked pasta
- salty pasta water
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- a pinch of salt
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- white wine
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Fry loads of garlic in olive oil.
- 2
Cut cherry tomatoes into halves and add them to the pan with a pinch of salt.
- 3
Cook until tomatoes soften and break apart.
- 4
Add lemon zest and white wine, reduce the wine by half.
- 5
Turn off the heat and add cold butter, then stir to emulsify.
- 6
Add cooked pasta and salty pasta water.
- 7
Mix in fresh basil, fresh parsley, parmesan, and lemon juice.
- 8
Adjust with more pasta water if necessary and mix well.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Fry garlic at 250-275°F oil temperature to avoid burning while extracting maximum flavor compounds - garlic burns at 280°F and becomes bitter.technique250-275°F
- ✓Salt cherry tomatoes immediately after cutting to draw out moisture via osmosis, concentrating flavors and preventing watery sauce.timingimmediate salting
- ✓Reduce white wine by exactly half to concentrate flavors while maintaining 6-8% acidity for proper emulsification with butter.technique50% reduction
- ✓Add cold butter off-heat and whisk vigorously to create a stable emulsion - hot pan breaks the emulsion and causes separation.technique
- ✓Reserve pasta water at 1-2% starch content (cloudy but not thick) because this starch concentration binds sauce to pasta without making it gluey.ingredient1-2% starch content