Description
Crafted with hot summer evenings in mind, this Marinated Tomato Pasta is the ultimate warm weather dinner! It’s light with bold flavor & comes together in 30 minutes or less with next to no cooking involved.
The magic comes from the juicy sweetness of in-season tomatoes. Simply marinate sliced cherry tomatoes in olive oil with aromatics like shallots, garlic, & basil, & the result is an insanely delicious no-cook fresh tomato “sauce” that begs to be tossed into pasta.
It’s best to pair delicate sauces with equally delicate pasta, so capellini (angel hair) is my pasta of choice here. As a bonus, it cooks to a perfect al dente really quickly, keeping time at the stove to an absolute minimum. Simply toss the marinated tomatoes with warm pasta, relish in a steam bath of fragrant summer flavor, & dinner’s ready!
This marinated tomato pasta has seriously bold flavor & makes for a great light dinner all on its own, but you can pair it with grilled protein or grilled veggies if you’d like to bulk it up a bit. Be sure to check out the blog post, above, for some suggestions to get you started.
Ingredients
- 8.8 ounces capellini pasta
- 32 ounces cherry tomatoes or late summer tomatoes of choice, quartered or chopped into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 medium shallot, very finely sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped or grated
- ½ cup packed fresh basil leaves & tender stems, very finely sliced (roughly 1.25 ounces)
- up to 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, as desired
- 1 large lemon, juiced (2–3 tablespoons juice)
- ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ cup shaved parmesan
- kosher salt & ground black pepper, to season
- for serving, as desired: crushed red chili flakes, thinly sliced basil, chopped fresh parsley, grated parmesan, etc.
Instructions
- Marinate the tomatoes: To a large bowl, add the cherry tomatoes, shallot, garlic, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, lemon juice, & olive oil. Season with 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt & ground black pepper as desired. Stir to combine well. Set aside to soak, marinate, & meld for at least 10-20 minutes. (Time permitting, a few hours yields maximum flavor, but if you’re prepping this at dinnertime, 10-ish minutes will do the trick just fine!) [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="30948,30953"]
- Cook the pasta: At dinnertime, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling, generously salt the water. Add the capellini and cook to al dente according to package directions. Once al dente, drain the pasta & transfer directly to the bowl with the marinated tomatoes.
- Toss the fresh tomato pasta: Add the shaved parmesan to the bowl with the marinated tomatoes & warm capellini. Toss to combine well. Taste & adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve immediately, topped with additional grated parmesan, chopped basil or parsley, &/or a sprinkling of crushed red pepper, as desired. Enjoy!
Notes
- Vegetarian &/or vegan fresh tomato pasta: This marinated tomato pasta recipe is naturally meatless. For a vegetarian version, omit the parmesan or use your favorite rennet-free parmesan. To take it a step further & make it vegan, opt for your favorite dairy-free parmesan instead.
- Storage & Reheating: Leftover fresh tomato pasta will keep, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 3 days. Enjoy leftovers cold, at room temperature, or reheat in the microwave until warmed through as desired.
- 10-15 Minute Meal Prep: Nearly all the active time involved with this marinated tomato pasta recipe comes from prepping the veggies. Take care of this in advance & store in individual airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. It takes 10 minutes, tops, & with the prep work done, you can jump straight into cooking at dinnertime.
- Quarter 2 pints cherry tomatoes or roughly chop summer tomatoes of choice. (approx. 10 minutes active prep)
- Very thinly slice 1 medium shallot. (> 1 minute active prep)
- Bonus: Take it a step further by prepping the marinated tomatoes according to Step 1 of Recipe Directions, above. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. At dinnertime, let the tomatoes warm slightly or come to room temperature, then toss together the pasta. (15 minutes active prep)