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Fresh tomato pasta in a bowl with basil.
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4.67 from 6 votes

20-Minute Fresh Tomato Pasta

Need a quick dinner idea? This Fresh Tomato Pasta is it! A 20-minute dinner that turns seasonal tomatoes into a super fresh and delicious pasta sauce using just a handful of ingredients. Trust me, this one will be on rotation all summer long.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Dinner
Keyword: Fresh Tomato Pasta
Method: Stovetop
Servings: 4
Author: Lexi's Clean Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces spaghetti or any other pasta you want
  • 1 teaspoon of olive oil
  • 1 clove of garlic grated
  • 1 shallot finely minced
  • 1-1/2 lbs. ripe tomatoes diced
  • 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup fresh basil sliced

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to package instructions, and save and set aside 1 cup of pasta water. Drain pasta.
  • Heat oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add garlic and shallot and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until softened.
  • Add tomatoes, salt, and balsamic cook for 3-5 minutes until liquid starts to come out of the tomatoes.
  • Add drained pasta to the tomatoes and toss to combine, adding pasta water as necessary depending on how juicy the tomatoes are to make a sauce.
  • Stir in the cheese then taste and adjust seasoning.
  • Serve with a garnish of additional cheese and sliced basil.

Notes

Because this dish has very few ingredients, choosing the highest quality and best-tasting tomatoes will have the greatest impact on the final dish. I love using heirloom tomatoes here, but I've used everything from standard grocery store tomatoes or even cherry tomatoes. 
Some tomatoes can be really juicy, while others, like some heirloom tomatoes or plum tomatoes, can be pretty dry. You can use both types, but with drier tomatoes, you'll have to add in a bit of pasta water to make them saucy. Some of the more juicy tomatoes don't need any added pasta water at all.
You do not need to take skin off the tomatoes, but if you want to you can.
Feel free to garnish with black pepper and red pepper flakes, too!

Nutrition

Serving: 1/4 recipe | Calories: 313kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 17mg | Sodium: 500mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 6g