Recipes

Tiny Tomato Pasta

Name: Tiny Tomato Pasta
Yield: SERVES 4 TO 6
Ingredients: kosher salt; 1 pound angel hair pasta; 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter; 6 garlic cloves; 2 pounds cherry, Sungold, or grape tomatoes; ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes; handful of fresh basil

Written by: Caroline Chambers | Published on: August 13, 2026

SERVES 4 TO 6 |

Starring vine-ripe tiny tomatoes and a handful of fragrant basil—this, my friends, is peak summer cooking. What to Cookers everywhere are addicted to this pasta! It’s best with the freshest summer tomatoes—especially Sungolds—but if you’re craving it midwinter, you can make it with cherry tomatoes and add a pinch of sugar. Use whatever pasta you’ve got, but I’m telling you, angel hair is absolutely elite here.

Tip

Grate the Parmesan in a blender or food processor: Cut off the rind, cut it into a few hunks, and blend or process until grated.

Ingredients

kosher salt

1 pound angel hair pasta

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter

6 garlic cloves

2 pounds cherry, Sungold, or grape tomatoes

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

handful of fresh basil

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to the package directions. Scoop out 1½ cups of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.

2. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Thinly slice the garlic. Add the garlic, tomatoes, 1½ teaspoons salt, and the red pepper flakes to the pot and turn up the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are bursting and forming a sauce with the butter, about 8 minutes. Use a spatula to carefully smash any tomatoes that haven’t burst on their own against the side of the pan. Turn off the heat.

3. Thinly slice the basil.

4. To the sauce in the pot, add the cooked pasta, ¼ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water, most of the basil (reserve a little bit for garnish), and ½ cup of the Parm and stir until all the cheese has melted into a smooth sauce. Stir in the remaining ½ cup Parm until smooth. Stir in more of the pasta cooking water until everything looks saucy and delicious. Taste and add more salt as needed.

5. Scoop into shallow bowls and top each serving with some of the reserved basil and more Parm.

Recipe reprinted with permission from What to Cook When You Don’t Feel Like Cooking: Make It Fast by Caroline Chambers © 2026. Published by Union Square & Co., an imprint of Grand Central Publishing, a division of Hachette Book Group. Photography by Erin Scott.

Originally featured in These Vegetarian Recipes Deliver Major Flavor in Just 15 Minutes