Description
Lemony Cherry Tomato Pasta features bright flavors from cherry tomatoes and lemon, making it a delightful and easy choice for a quick weeknight meal. With simple ingredients and a quick cooking time, this dish is sure to satisfy your craving for a homemade, comforting dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 ounces uncooked pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 large cloves garlic, pressed or finely minced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- optional garnishes: chopped fresh basil, freshly-grated parmesan, extra black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, tomato paste, and red pepper flakes; cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add cherry tomatoes, salt, and black pepper to the skillet; stir to combine. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente. Cook the sauce for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are cooked down. Reserve 3/4 cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.
- Toss the drained pasta in the skillet with the sauce, adding a splash of reserved pasta water as needed to coat the pasta evenly.
- Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice and zest. Adjust seasoning with salt, black pepper, or red pepper flakes. Serve warm with optional garnishes.
Notes
You can use any type of pasta you have on hand; pappardelle works great for this dish!
Feel free to adjust the amount of crushed red pepper flakes based on your spice preference.
For extra flavor, double the lemon juice and zest!
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 plate
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 3g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 63g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 12g
- Cholesterol: 5mg