This Tomato Basil Pasta is easy to make and full of fresh flavor! Roasting both tomatoes and garlic really intensifies the flavor and once blended with a bit of pasta water makes for a rustic and luxurious sauce. Let your favorite type of pasta soak up this homemade sauce and top with some fresh basil and parmesan for an incredible, yet simple dinner!
Serve this pasta with our savory Cheddar Chive Scones. Or try amping up our favorite French Bread recipe by adding some Herb Butter and making your own garlic bread!
Tomato Basil Pasta
Our Roasted Tomato Basil Pasta couldn’t be easier to make while still being oh so sinfully delicious. The trick here is the homemade sauce.
Roasting the tomatoes and garlic prior to blending really brings out their flavor and makes for an incredible sauce. The fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese surely don’t hurt either!
Play with your pasta shape for added fun and texture (you can never go wrong with a good penne or perfectly cooked spaghetti), and sprinkle some red pepper flakes for spice. This pasta is an easy weeknight meal to please the whole family!
How To Make Tomato Basil Pasta
- Place your rack in the center of the oven and preheat at 425°F.
- Quarter your Campari tomatoes and place them in a glass or ceramic 9×13-inch baking dish.
- For the Roma tomatoes, cut them in half lengthwise. Make a triangle shaped cut around the stem and peel the core out. You’ll need to scrape any remaining seeds out with your finger or a small spoon. Discard the core and seeds. Now quarter the Roma tomatoes just like the Campari ones.
- Place the Roma tomatoes into the baking dish. Add in the peeled cloves of garlic and drizzle generously with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Bake the tomatoes and garlic for 30-40 minutes, or until the tomatoes are blistered and golden brown around the edges and the garlic is fork tender.
- In the meantime, as the tomatoes and garlic are roasting, cook the pasta according to its package directions. Salt your water! Stop one minute shy of the suggested cook time. Before draining your pasta, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water to finish up the sauce later. Drain your pasta. Do not rinse.
- Once roasted, place the tomatoes and garlic in a food processor or blender. Toss in fresh basil and oregano. Add ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and pulse until it reaches your desired consistency. For a chunky sauce, pulse just a few times, for a thinner sauce pulse longer.
- Add the sauce and drained pasta back into the pot used to boil. Over medium heat cook and toss until the pasta absorbs the excess liquid and has cooked through about two minutes. Add splashes of the reserved pasta water as needed. Stir in a tablespoon of butter for an extra silky sauce.
- Serve with fresh parmesan and more fresh basil if desired. Enjoy!
Tips and Variations
- If you can’t find Campari tomatoes at your local market, you can always substitute them with more Roma tomatoes or heirloom tomatoes. We don’t recommend beefsteak or hothouse tomatoes for this sauce.
- You don’t have to core and deseed the Roma tomatoes, but it will affect the texture and color of your sauce. Still completely fine to eat, it’s just whatever you prefer.
- For extra flavor, try adding a sliced yellow onion to the roasted tomatoes and garlic.
- Remember when cooking to always add dry herbs at the beginning and fresh herbs at the end of the process to keep the best flavor.
- Always, always, always salt your pasta water! And don’t rinse the pasta after cooking. This gets rid of the starch which is what we need if you want your sauce to stick!
Storage and Reheating
Storage: You can store any leftover Tomato Basil Pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. As the pasta absorbs the sauce you may want to add a touch of water when reheating.
Freezing: You can freeze the sauce itself before combining it with the pasta in a freezer safe container or plastic bag for up to 6 months.
Reheating: Pop in the microwave or on the stovetop and heat until warmed through. Top with fresh parmesan.
Tomato Basil Pasta
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Ingredients
- 1 pound campari tomatoes
- 4 roma tomatoes
- 6 cloves garlic - peeled
- Olive oil - enough to drizzle tomatoes and garlic
- kosher salt - to taste
- ground black pepper - to taste
- 1 pound pasta - uncooked, such as spaghetti
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
- 1 cup basil - fresh, torn
- 1 teaspoon oregano - fresh, optional
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese - grated, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F, place a rack in the center of the oven.
- Quarter campari tomatoes, and place them in a glass or ceramic 9×13-inch baking dish.1 pound campari tomatoes
- Cut the roma tomatoes in half lengthwise. Make a triangle shaped cut around the stem, peel the core out, scrape any remaining seeds out with your finger or a small spoon. Discard the core and seeds. Cut each roma tomato in half again so you now have quartered tomatoes.4 roma tomatoes
- Place the tomatoes in the baking dish. Add the garlic, and drizzle generously with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until tomatoes are blistered and golden brown around the edges, and garlic is soft.6 cloves garlicOlive oilkosher saltground black pepper
- While the tomatoes roast, cook the pasta according to package directions in salted water, stopping one minute shy of the suggested cooking time. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water in a heat proof measuring cup. You’ll use this to finish the sauce. Drain pasta, but do not rinse!1 pound pasta1 cup reserved pasta water
- Place the roasted tomatoes and garlic in a food processor or blender, along with the fresh basil and oregano (if using). Add ½ cup of the reserved pasta water and pulse until it reaches your desired consistency.1 cup basil1 teaspoon oregano
- Add the sauce and drained pasta back into the pot used to boil the pasta. Over medium heat, cook the pasta adding splashes of the reserved pasta water as needed. For an even silkier sauce, stir in 1 tablespoon of butter.
- Serve immediately with fresh parmesan and more fresh basil if desired. See post for storage options.¼ cup parmesan cheese