Name: Tomato Basil Pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients: 12 ounces pasta ((any shape)); 3 tablespoons olive oil; 3 cloves garlic; 4 cups red & yellow grape tomatoes; 1 tablespoon butter; 1/3 cup fresh snipped basil ((loosely packed)); 1/2 cup ricotta cheese; salt & pepper to taste

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Use fresh garden grape tomatoes in this easy meatless vegetarian recipe! Tomato Basil Pasta dinner comes together in about 30 minutes.

Do you ever plan Meatless Mondays for your family? We turn to meatless taco salads and vegetarian burrito recipes, but some of our favorites? Pasta dinners!

During the summer months we love using fresh garden tomatoes in our dinner recipes. Small grape tomatoes are so sweet they turn any savory dinner into an amazing dish!

Are cherry and grape tomatoes the same?

Both grape tomatoes and cherry tomatoes are small tomatoes that you can easily grow in the garden. Cherry tomatoes are larger and rounder than grape tomatoes. Grape tomatoes are small and have an oblong shape. Grape tomatoes aren’t usually quite as sweet as cherry tomatoes, but they still taste amazing in savory dinners.

Ingredients in Tomato Basil Pasta

pasta
olive oil
butter
tomatoes
fresh basil
garlic
ricotta
salt and pepper

How to make Tomato Basil Pasta

The first step in making the pasta is to cook the pasta noodles. Get water boiling and cook the noodles according to the package directions. **Note…reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water. You can add this in at the end of the pasta seems dry. If you don’t mind using chicken stock you can use that too.**

While the water is boiling, slice the grape tomatoes in half.

Then snip the basil leaves. Can you put basil in pasta? Yes! We add fresh basil to our orzo salad, rigatoni recipe and homemade lasagna. It adds such amazing flavor!

Then chop fresh garlic. If you’re in a bind, use packaged minced garlic instead of chopping fresh. This will work just fine…just don’t use dried garlic or garlic powder. Use minced or fresh garlic.

Add the olive oil to a large skillet and place it over medium heat.

Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes until you start smelling the aroma of the garlic.

**Pro Tip: Watch the garlic so it doesn’t burn.**

Add the sliced grape tomatoes and a pinch of salt to the skillet. Stir to combine.

Place a lid on the skillet and simmer for about 8 minutes stirring occasionally. The tomatoes will get a little juicy…that’s just fine.

Turn the heat off and add the butter, the chopped basil, and some freshly ground pepper. Stir until the butter is melted.

Add the cooked and drained pasta and stir. If the mixture seems dry, stir in a bit of the reserved pasta water.Put pasta on plates and top with dollops of ricotta and fresh ground pepper. You can also use fresh mozzarella pearls if you’d like. So good!!

How do you reheat pasta?

This recipe only makes 4 servings, but if you find yourself with a little bit of leftovers, you can reheat them for lunch the next day. Simply microwave the pasta. If the noodles seem a little dry, you can mix in a touch of butter, tomato sauce or chicken stock to moisten them.

What do you serve with pasta?

This meatless pasta dinner goes well with a side salad and a slice of Italian bread. You can also use some of that fresh basil in a watermelon salad. Delicious!

Other Pasta Dinner Ideas

Tomato Basil Pasta

5 from 1 vote

Use fresh garden grape tomatoes in this easy meatless vegetarian recipe! Tomato Basil Pasta dinner comes together in about 30 minutes.

Servings 4

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

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Ingredients

12 ounces pasta (any shape)
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic
4 cups red & yellow grape tomatoes
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup fresh snipped basil (loosely packed)
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and reserve ¼ cup of the pasta water.
While the pasta is cooking, slice the tomatoes in half and chop the basil (save some to garnish with). Mince the garlic.
Add the olive oil to a large skillet and place it over medium heat. Once hot, add the garlic and sauté for about 2 minutes until oil becomes fragrant. Watch the garlic so it doesn’t burn.
Add the sliced grape tomatoes and a pinch of salt to the skillet. Stir to combine. Place a lid on the skillet and simmer for about 8 minutes stirring occasionally.
Turn the heat off and add the butter, the chopped basil, and some freshly ground pepper. Stir until the butter is melted.
Add the cooked and drained pasta and stir. If the mixture seems dry, stir in a bit of the reserved pasta water.
Put pasta on plates and top with dollops of ricotta and fresh ground pepper. Garnish with basil and serve!