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Burst Tomato Pasta

Burst Tomato Pasta with fresh basil in a pasta bowl

If your looking for easy pasta recipes then this Burst Tomato Pasta is it. It is light, fresh, and simple to make, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.

Have you ever watched the Next FoodNetwork Star on the FoodNetwork? It is basically a show in the format of a competition among chefs, cooks, foodies, etc. The winner of the show is awarded one of their very own TV shows on the FoodNetwork, so cool!  Anywho, I love it!

It is always inspiring to see what people do with the challenges that are thrown at them, the dishes they create, and how much they grow. This year, there was a girl on the show who was a Food Blogger!! So she kinda sucked me right in from the beginning.  One of the challenges, {a Barilla challenge to be exact}, was to make a pasta recipe to serve to the judges. This contestant made a Burst Tomato Pasta dish that looked absolutely delicious.  It was fresh, did not have a lot of ingredients, but was packed with intense flavors like fresh basil, sweet cherry tomatoes, and sauteed garlic. After watching her make this easy pasta recipe I knew I had to try it at home.

So this recipe is an inspiration from that dish I saw on the FoodNetwork. 🙂 It is a light, fresh, and easy pasta recipe that you will love!

To get started, fill one large pot with water and bring it to a boil.  In a separate large sauce pan, heat to medium high heat. Add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and 4 minced garlic cloves to the saucepan.

Olive oil and garlic in a skillet

Saute for 30 seconds and no more so the garlic does not burn. Next, add 2 pints of cherry tomatoes to saucepan and season with salt.

Two containers of grape tomatoes

Toss to coat the tomatoes with the olive oil and garlic. Cover and let saute for 7-10 minutes or until tomatoes burst and are wrinkly.

Burst grape tomatoes cooking in a skillet

In the meantime, add 1 pound of thin spaghetti pasta to the boiling water. Cook until al dente.

Spaghetti in a pot of boiling water

Once, pasta is done. Reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water and drain the rest. Put pasta and tomato mixture into a large bowl.

Burst tomatoes and garlic over spaghetti in a serving bowl

Add in 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water, 1-2 Tablespoons of olive oil, 1/2 cup of fresh thinly sliced basil, and salt and pepper to taste.

Spaghetti with burst grape tomatoes and basil in a pasta bowl

Toss to coat. Add additional salt or olive oil if needed.

Spaghetti with burst grape tomatoes and basil in a serving bowl

Serve with a glass of red wine and some nice crunchy bread! 🙂

A bowl of spaghetti with burst grape tomatoes and fresh basil with recipe title text for Burst Tomato Pasta

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Burst Tomato Pasta 8

Burst Tomato Pasta

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  • Author: Krista
  • Prep Time: 5 mins
  • Cook Time: 15 mins
  • Total Time: 20 mins
  • Yield: 6-8 1x
  • Category: Pasta, Vegetarian
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: Italian

Description

If you’re looking for an easy pasta recipe, this Burst Tomato Pasta will fit the bill! It is light, fresh, and simple to make, perfect for a quick weeknight dinner.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 2 pints of cherry tomato
  • 2 Tablespoons of olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 lb. of thin spaghetti
  • 1/2 cup of reserved pasta liquid
  • 1/2 cup of basil, thinly sliced
  • 12 Tablespoons of olive oil to finish
  • salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Fill one large pot with water and bring it to a boil.
  2. In the meantime, heat a large sauce pan to medium high heat. Add olive oil and minced garlic cloves to the saucepan.
  3. Saute for 30 seconds and no more so the garlic does not burn.
  4. Next, add cherry tomatoes to saucepan and season with salt.
  5. Toss to coat the tomatoes with the olive oil and garlic.
  6. Cover and let the tomatoes saute for 7-10 minutes or until tomatoes burst and are wrinkly.
  7. In the meantime, add thin spaghetti pasta to the boiling water. Cook until al dente.
  8. Once, pasta is done. Reserve pasta water and drain the rest. Put drained pasta and tomato mixture into a large bowl.
  9. Add in reserved pasta water, additional olive oil, fresh thinly sliced basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
  10. Toss to coat. Add additional salt or olive oil if needed.
  11. Serve with a glass of red wine and some nice crunchy bread! 🙂

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18 comments on “Burst Tomato Pasta”

  1. Avatar photo
    Shauna {The Best Blog Recipes}

    I’ve been looking for some healthier recipes and this looks like something I’d love to try 🙂 Pinned!

    Shauna @ The Best Blog Recipes

    1. Awesome Shauna! So glad I could help you out, although I have to say you have quite a few healthy recipes on your site too my dear. 🙂 Thanks for the pin and stopping by with the sweet comment. 🙂

  2. Yum! Looks so simple and fresh! A perfect weeknight meal ;). I used to watch the show..now I can’t even remember the last time I turned on the t.v. Sigh…I think my DVR is going to start erasing some of my old recorded shows. Must watch Parenthood before that happens! I’d be drawn to the food blogger as well. What is her site?

    1. haha.. i hope you can get to your parenthood shows. 🙂 It’s probably a good thing, sometimes the tv can suck you in and then a hour later your like “where did all my time go?” Her name is Nikki Dinki, i think it like nikkidinkicooking {dot} com. She doesn’t post alot, she actually does more youtube videos and such. 🙂

  3. I love next FoodNetwork Star, I love Food Network. It’s basically all I watch. Do you watch Chopped? This is a great recipe, Krista, my favorite is pasta. Pinned!

    1. haha… I love it when I learn new things about my friends. Totally didn’t know that. 🙂 It is basically all I watch too, that and the HGTV channel. 🙂 And yes, I watch chopped too, I am still waiting for my husband to come home one day with 4-5 ingredients and tell me to make something out of it. I couldn’t imagine being on that show and then having to serve those all star chefs. Scary! Thanks for the pin girl!

    1. Oh…. love the adjectives. 🙂 I think my favorite thing about this dish is how simple it is. 🙂 Thanks for the sweet comments and stopping by Tahny, hope you are doing well!

  4. Avatar photo
    Tina @ Tina's Chic Corner

    I love Next FoodNetwork Star. I really got a kick out of the recent kids one.
    I never new spaghetti could look so gorgeous! Seriously this looks beautiful. 🙂
    I love caprese anything and this is so simple. Love love love!

    1. I didn’t see the recent kids one, but I bet it was a blast to watch. I heard the did a Junior MasterChef series too!

      haha.. thanks on the foodie props my friend. This recipe is definitely one of my favorites and love how simple it is. 🙂 Hope you have a great rest of the day!

    1. haha.. me too! 🙂 How fun would it be to be on that show and then to meet, Giada, Elton, and Bobby! SO fun.

  5. Avatar photo
    Natosha Zachary

    This sound so yummy and quick! I use those exact tomatoes all the time. Thanks for the recipe.

    1. They are my favorite tomatoes too Natosha, they are a little sweeter than the others. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by and I hope you get a chance to make this!

  6. Avatar photo
    Cindy Eikenberg

    Krista, this dish is just beautiful and sounds fantastic! Thanks for sharing – pinned and buffered! Have a wonderful day!

    1. Thanks Cindy, it was definitely yummy, even mr. cason ate that one up. {garlic, basil and all} Thanks for pinning and sharing!