Tomato Basil Pasta

5 from 1 vote

This Tomato Basil Pasta is loaded with basil, cherry tomatoes, garlic, mozzarella and parmesan. You'll need just 15 minutes to put it together!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Main Course, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Italian, Mediterranean

Diet: Vegetarian

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: servings

Calories: 508kcal

Author: Nora from Savory Nothings

Ingredients

8 oz spaghettini see notes for info on other pasta shapes, and for adding more pasta to bulk up the portion size!
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic minced
3 cups cherry tomatoes halved (2 pints)
2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves large ones torn
8 oz mozzarella pearls halved
2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese plus more for serving
salt
ground black pepper
red pepper flakes optional

Instructions

Prep: Have all ingredients ready to go - this pulls together quickly!
Cook garlic: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While water is getting hot, heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 3 tablespoons olive oil, then stir in 4 cloves garlic and gently cook until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes until softened (not browned).
Cook pasta: Once water is boiling, generously salt and cook 8 oz spaghettini according to package directions.
Cook tomatoes: While pasta is cooking, add 3 cups cherry tomatoes to garlic in skillet and season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (if using). Increase heat to medium to medium-high and sauté tomatoes for 5-6 minutes, or until soft but not broken up.
Toss pasta with tomatoes: Drain pasta once done, reserving ½ cup of cooking liquid. Add pasta to tomatoes in skillet and gently toss over low heat. Add pasta cooking water one tablespoon at a time if pasta seems too dry (may not need any pasta water if tomatoes were juicy!).
Finish and serve: Add 2 large handfuls fresh basil leaves, 8 oz mozzarella pearls and 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese to the skillet, toss and serve immediately with additional parmesan, seasoning and basil, if you like.

Notes

Ingredient notes

Mozzarella: I sometimes use two different sizes of mozzarella pearls for interest. But just use whatever you have access to and is in your budget – fresh mozzarella is best, but I’ve even made this with shredded mozzarella I had stashed in the freezer before and it came out just fine.
Olive oil: This is my favorite oil here, but vegetable oil works in a pinch. The flavor will be a little different, but still delicious.
Spaghettini: Spaghetti or Capellini both work as well, as do Fettuccine or Linguine. Bow-ties, shells or spirals are also fine if that’s what you have on hand!

Note about pasta: If you have a very hungry bunch to feed (or want to serve this as a main dish without any additional sides) but don’t want to mess with 4 pints of tomatoes, you can get away with using a pound of spaghetti instead of the 8oz the recipe calls for.

There will be less tomatoes and cheese in each serving, and you will definitely need to use some of the pasta cooking water to make sure the pasta doesn’t end up clumping together, but it’s just fine for a budget-friendly way to bulk this up!

Recipe tips

Tomato doneness: You want the tomatoes softened all the way, but not so mushy yet that they start breaking up. Do not stir much while they’re sautéing in the pan, and make sure to watch closely to catch them at the right time. If your pasta isn’t done yet, just move the skillet off the heat until the pasta is ready.
Tossing: Tossing long spaghetti with small cherry tomatoes can be tricky. If you can’t make it work with tongs, I’ve found that using two large spoons do the trick quite well.
Serve immediately: This dish tastes best served immediately! Else the mozzarella can get a funny texture. If you need to let it sit for more than 5 minutes before serving, I would leave out the mozzarella and basil at first. Gently heat up the pasta again right before serving, then toss with the mozzarella and basil and serve.

Nutrition