• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Love and Good Stuff logo

  • Recipes
  • About
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • All Recipes
  • Contact
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home - Recipes - Pasta

    Cherry Tomato & Pesto Pasta

    Sep 8, 2021 · Modified: Dec 13, 2022 by Courtney · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    50 shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Full of fresh flavour, easy to make, and totally delicious, this cherry tomato pasta is a breeze to whip up! The fresh cherry tomatoes cook down into the most luscious sauce and then it is flavoured with a high quality pesto. Just 6 ingredients and 20 minutes of time to get it on your plate.

    A top down view of a bowl of cherry tomato pesto pasta with a fork twirled in the noodles.

    This dish has quickly become one of my favourite summer easy pasta recipes. The cherry tomatoes break down easily into a light and fresh tasting sauce which is then flavoured with pesto. It's just perfect for days when you are craving noodles but not the weight of a heavy pasta sauce.

    For simplicity, this recipe calls for pre-made pesto sauce. Look for a high-quality brand to ensure the best flavour, or use homemade if you've got it on hand.

    To keep this recipe simple, I serve it just as it is - meatless. If you would like to bulk it up a bit more grilled shrimp or chicken would be a great addition.

    What makes this dish great...

    • Quick & Easy - with few ingredients and just a couple of quick steps you can have this beautiful pasta dish on your plate in just about 20 minutes.
    • Fresh and light - The quickly cooked cherry tomatoes produce a light tasting sauce that is brightened up with the fresh taste of basil from the pesto.
    • Mostly pantry ingredients - If you're like me and a good pesto is a pantry staple you probably already have most of the ingredients on hand.

    Ingredients

    ingredients for cherry tomato pesto pasta with text labels.
    • Linguini. I really love linguini noodles in this dish, but feel free to use your favourite pasta.
    • Garlic. As always, fresh garlic is always more flavourful than jarred.
    • Onion. I used red onion here, but white or yellow would be just fine.
    • Pesto. For the best flavour, choose a premium brand - it's well worth it!
    • Cherry Tomatoes. These could be substituted for grape tomatoes if necessary.

    How to make it

    Prepare the pasta. Fill a large pot with water and season it generously with sea salt then bring it to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions.

    Start the sauce. Heat a large saute pan to medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot add the diced onion and saute for a couple of minutes until they soften a bit. Add the cherry tomatoes and cover. Let the tomatoes cook for a few minutes until they soften then add the garlic and balsamic vinegar.

    cherry tomatoes cooking in a saute pan with onion and garlic.

    Finish the sauce. Let the tomatoes cook for about 10 minutes or until they have completely broken down and turned into a sauce. Add the pesto and then stir well.

    cherry tomato and pesto sauce in a saute pan.

    Add the pasta. When the pasta is finished cooking, remove about a half cup of the cooking liquid before draining it. Add the pasta to the sauce in the saute pan and a bit of the cooking water. Stir well to cover the pasta and add more cooking liquid if necessary.

    cherrry tomato pesto pasta in a saute pan.

    Serve. I like to add an extra touch of pesto on top of the pasta as well as a good serving of parmesan cheese.

    a top down view of a bowl of cherry tomato pesto pasta

    Are you on Pinterest? Follow me for more fresh and tasty recipe ideas.

    Want to see more recipes like this?? Sign up for our newsletter to have new recipes delivered to your inbox, follow us on Instagram, or like our Facebook page.

    More Recipes You'll Love!

    If you loved this cherry tomato pesto pasta you might want to check out some of our other easy and delicious pasta recipes!

    • Spaghetti Gorgonzola
    • Creamy Salmon Pasta
    • Creamy Kale Gnocchi
    • Cajun Shrimp Pasta

    If you have made this recipe we’d love to see it! Tag us on Insta @loveandgoodstuff.
    Loved this? Don’t forget to rate it below!

    a top down view of a bowl of cherry tomato pesto pasta
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Cherry Tomato & Pesto Pasta

    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time15 mins
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Diet: Vegetarian
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 453kcal
    Author: Courtney
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    large saute pan

    Ingredients:

    • 12 oz linguini
    • 1 Tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 onion - diced
    • 1.5 lbs cherry tomatoes - halved
    • 3 cloves garlic - crushed
    • 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
    • 4-6 Tablespoons pesto
    • sea salt & pepper

    Instructions

    • Bring a large pot of well salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.
    • Heat a large saute pan over medium heat and add the olive oil. When the oil is heated add the diced onion and saute for a couple of minutes until its softens.
    • Add the cherry tomatoes and cover. Let the tomatoes cook for a couple of minutes until they soften then add the balsamic vinegar and garlic.
    • Saute while stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes until the tomatoes have fully softened and become saucey.
    • Add the pesto to the sauce and stir well to mix it in.
    • Remove a ½ cup of cooking water from the pasta then drain.
    • Add the pasta to the sauce in the saute pan and mix well adding in some of the reserved pasta water to loosed up the sauce if it's too tight.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 453kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 14gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 167mgPotassium: 614mgFiber: 5gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1135IUVitamin C: 42mgCalcium: 72mgIron: 2mg

    * nutritional information is calculated by online tools and may not be 100% accurate.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @loveandgoodstuff or tag #loveandgoodstuff!
    « Grilled Chicken Banh Mi
    Grilled Beef Kofta Kebabs »

    About Courtney

    I'm Courtney and I love great food!

    Creating delicious meals, photographing them, and sharing them with friends and family are some of my favourite joys ❤️
    More about Love & Good Stuff

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alexandra says

      September 14, 2021 at 2:01 am

      I love the fresh flavours of this delicious pasta dish!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi! I'm Courtney and I love sharing delicious, wholesome food with you! Thank you for stopping by Love & Good Stuff!

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Homemade Falafel
    • Mexican Black Bean and Corn Salad
    • Italian Tomato Salad (Marinated Tomato Salad)
    • Vegetarian Miso Ramen
    • Lentil Casserole
    • Blackened Fish Tacos
    • Falafel Burgers
    • Parmesan Risotto

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    as featured on Domino, MSN, Greatist, Buzzfeed, Parade and Foodgawker

    About

    • About Me
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Love & Good Stuff

    Fresh Recipes Weekly
    Get our freshest recipes delivered straight to your inbox
    Your information will *never* be shared or sold to a 3rd party.