This simple recipe is packed with classic Italian flavors from Olive oil, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, and cherry tomatoes. The instructions can be summarized as – cooking the sauce and tossing the spaghetti. Eaten in moderation, pasta made with cherry tomato sauce is healthy, keeps you lean, improves the health of internal organs, and provides energy from the carbohydrates it packs. This can be a finished dish and a fulfilling meal by itself. This recipe can also be a base, and you can use something like chicken or shrimp to make a balanced meal with protein. Check out my Cherry Tomato Pasta with Shrimp recipe. Among other pasta, picking which with a fork might seem skillful to people, spaghetti, as produced by modern companies, is not slippery and comes off the plate easily. It makes an excellent base for various sauces and is easy to make and serve on the dining table for many occasions. I have made a few pasta recipes with tomatoes with slight variation – Sun-dried Tomato Pasta is one with sun-dried tomatoes, Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup is a tomato base, but in a soup with tortellini as pasta. They look bright red and are often sweeter or milder (in sourness and tartness) than regular ones. For recipes, cherry tomatoes work well if you need a slightly sweeter taste profile. Regular tomatoes are great for the slightly sour or tart taste you need in many recipes. Ripe cherry tomatoes are also good for snacking or included in salads or fruit bowls. Technically, it’s seen as a vegetable but is a fruit. These are abundantly available and are easy to grow with good exposure to sun and water, producing a bounty. You can find them in nearby vegetable and grocery stores, farmers’ markets, and gourmet garden produce.
Cook spaghetti al dente
In a large pot, bring water to a boil. To the boiling water, add salt generously. In the salted water, drop the spaghetti bunch and let it cook ‘al dente‘ – which means firm to the bite. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions and timings to cook the pasta. Pasta water has flavor, and we will use it later. We need to reserve 1 cup of pasta water for the sauce. Drain the remaining water using a sleeve. Note: Flavor molecules of spices are fat-soluble and are not water-soluble. This means they dissolve in fat like olive oil; hence, the oil carries the spice flavor compounds while making the base for a sauce or gravy. Add the reserved pasta water and let it simmer to a bubble. Add sugar, mix the sauce, and taste it. Remember, the pasta water was salted, so to avoid the sauce becoming salty, taste and add salt if required. Sprinkle fresh basil and shredded parmesan on top. Mix it once and serve with a glass of wine. Storing the cooked pasta and sauce separately is recommended for longer periods. Cooked pasta can be rinsed with cold water to stop cooking instantly and stored for up to a week. Cooked tomato sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat the sauce, use a skillet, add a splash of water or reserved pasta water, and bring it to a bubble. Add the cooked pasta and toss well.
Garlic Bread – Cheesy Garlic Bread is an excellent side dish that pairs with pasta. It has crunchy edges and is garlicky and cheesy. Roasted/grilled Chicken – Grilled Rosemary Chicken Kebabs, Easy Grilled Chicken Meat dishes – Pan-Seared Lamb Chop Recipe, Skillet pork chops, and Chili Garlic Shrimp are some sumptuous meats and seafood to pair with tomato pasta. Air fried – Salmon, Roasted Broccoli, and Chicken Wings (3 Ways) are quick and easy mains done in an air fryer. Roasted veggies
