What type of pasta works best with this sauce?

It's great with medium-sized pasta like rigatoni, fusilli, rotini, penne, or similar, but it would also be amazing with spaghetti as well!

Can I use a different type of cream besides heavy cream?

Heavy cream will give you the best amount of creaminess without making the sauce too thin, but half-and-half would work in a pinch. You can also use soft, unripe goat cheese or cream cheese.

Can I use canned tomatoes?

Some of the flavor of the sauce comes from blistering and caramelizing the cherry tomatoes in the pan, but if you only have canned cherry tomatoes or canned Roma tomatoes, they'll make a great sauce as well. I don't recommend using sundried tomatoes because they would give the sauce a completely different flavor. I have a different recipe for Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta you can check out!

Creamy Cherry Tomato Pasta

Name: Creamy Cherry Tomato Pasta
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 12 oz rigatoni (or other pasta shape); 1 tbsp avocado oil (or other cooking oil); 1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced; ½ tsp sea salt; 16 oz cherry tomatoes; 2-3 cloves garlic, minced; 1 tbsp tomato paste; 1 tsp dried oregano; ½ tsp dried thyme; ½ cup pasta water (plus more as needed); ½ cup heavy cream; ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more for serving); 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar; 4-5 large fresh basil leaves; ¼-½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Description

This Creamy Cherry Tomato Pasta is so easy to make and full of flavor! The tomatoes are blended into the most luscious and flavorful sauce. The recipe is ready in just 30 minutes, and you can serve it on its own or with your choice of protein!

Ingredients

Units Scale

12 oz rigatoni (or other pasta shape)
1 tbsp avocado oil (or other cooking oil)
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp sea salt
16 oz cherry tomatoes
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 cup pasta water (plus more as needed)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
4-5 large fresh basil leaves
1/4-1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

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Instructions

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package instructions, and drain. While the pasta cooks, make the sauce. Reserve at least ½ cup of the pasta water.
Into a large pan over medium-high heat, add avocado oil, sliced yellow onion, and sea salt.
Cook the onion for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until glossy and slightly caramelized.
Take the onion out and add cherry tomatoes. Cook them for 5 minutes to blister and caramelize them. Deglaze the pan with a splash of water if it starts to burn too much.
Add the onions back, add minced garlic, tomato paste, dried oregano, dried thyme, and ½ cup of pasta water to deglaze the pan.
Stir everything to mix and use the back edge of your wooden spoon or spatula to squish the tomatoes to help them cook and create sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat or until they release more water and become saucy.
Take the sauce off the heat and blend with heavy cream, grated parmesan cheese, balsamic vinegar, fresh basil, and black pepper until smooth and creamy. Use an immersion blender or a high-speed blender.
Toss the sauce with your cooked pasta and add more salt or pepper to taste.
Serve with more parmesan and fresh basil. Enjoy!

Equipment

Immersion blender

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Notes

The best pan and blender: If you have a large saucer pan for pasta, you can blend the sauce right in the pan with an immersion blender. If your pan is low, you might have to transfer it to a blender to avoid splatter. I transferred it to a medium pot to blend with an immersion blender and tossed the sauce with the pasta right in that pot. Be very careful blending hot liquids, and make sure the blender is never completely closed so the steam has a way to escape.

Storing and reheating: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat the pasta in a small pot on the stove with a splash of water until warmed through.