It’s Summertime, Summertime, Sum-Sum, Summertime!
Jump to RecipeCherry Tomato Pasta is also good any time of year!
One of the most abundant vegetables we grow in our garden every summer is cherry or grape tomatoes. They are easy to grow and keep giving generously until the Fall season. But when we can’t use them as fast as they’re growing, our go-to recipe is Cherry Tomato Pasta!
But this pasta can be made any time you want a little taste of summer for dinner. So switch the regular marinara sauce with this fresh tomato replacement whenever you want.
Now pick those little red jewels off the vine!
Scoop those tiny tomatoes from your farmer’s market or local grocery store. Wherever you get them, they will make a wonderfully delicious and quick, throw-together dinner.
Don’t worry if you don’t have all the vegetables in this recipe either. It works with so many different warm-weather veggies.
This recipe is made with mushrooms, garlic, a little red pepper out of the garden, garlic, and some homemade pesto from our big basil plant.
But you could omit the mushrooms, use fresh basil leaves instead of pesto, saute an onion, throw in some sliced zucchini, or whatever you like!
Many kinds of pasta can sub for the farfalle/bowtie pasta. Spaghetti, fettuccine, penne, rigatoni, or shell macaroni are all good too.
No oven is necessary so less heat in the kitchen!
Just cook your pasta, saute the veggies until the tomatoes break down, and you’ll have Cherry Tomato Pasta ready to eat in minutes.
Sprinkle our vegan parmesan over the pasta and add a simple side salad to finish it!
No pasta? No problem!
If you don’t have pasta in your pantry or aren’t feeling like a pasta dinner tonight, this recipe is also great on crusty bread! Omit the pasta, cook up the tomatoes and choice of veggies, and toss it onto a toasted slice of Italian or French bread brushed with olive oil.
Bonus points if you add a handful of delicious, healthy sprouts like GREWSOME GREENS!
Great for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or snack!
Enjoy those Sum-Sum Summertime tomatoes!
Cherry Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 ounces pasta of choice I used Farfalle/bowtie
- 1-2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6-8 ounces white button or baby bella mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 medium-sized red or green pepper cored, seeded, and diced
- 4 cloves garlic sliced or minced
- 1/4 cup pesto sauce or use a handful of basil leaves, thinly sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano optional
- 1-2 tablespoons grated vegan parmesan try our easy parmesan recipe *see notes
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt to the water. Then add the pasta and cook according to directions (about 8 – 10 minutes). Reserve about 3/4 cup of the salted pasta water in a heat-resistant container like a tempered glass measuring cup, then drain the pasta. Set the pasta and reserved pasta water aside briefly.
- While pasta cooks, heat a large saute pan over medium. Add in the olive oil. When the oil is hot (but don't let it start smoking), add the mushrooms and diced pepper to the pan, cooking until the mushrooms give up their juices, browning a bit, and the pepper is softened. Add the dried oregano, if using, and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add all the tomatoes into the pan with the mushrooms and pepper. Cook for about 6-8 minutes. The tomatoes should look a bit crinkled and begin to pop open. Slight pressure on the tomatoes with the back of a spoon helps them to break down.
- Now add in the sliced garlic and cook for a couple more minutes.
- Stir in the pesto ( or sliced fresh basil leaves) and take the pan off the heat.
- Add the salted pasta water, starting with one tablespoon at a time, to achieve a more saucy recipe that combines well with the pasta. (You probably won't need all of it). This step is optional.
- Return the pasta to the pasta pot. Stir the tomato and veggie sauce into the pasta. Sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of vegan parmesan, if using.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Simple ingredients make parmesan cheese magic