Penne pasta? ✔︎ Juicy, cherry tomatoes? ✔︎ Fresh basil & Parmesan cheese? ✔︎✔︎✔︎ This easy, penne pasta recipe ticks ALL the right boxes: less than 10 ingredients & ready in 20 minutes or less 😘
The problem with dinner is thinking about dinner.
Too much time spent endlessly scrolling leads to absolutely nothing. We know this. On the flip side, not enough time to shop, plan and prep = expensive take-out. My solution? A go-to, back-pocket recipe that’s easy to memorize and requires minimal thought. Just like my 30-minute rigatoni with vodka sauce and creamy lemon ricotta pasta, this penne pasta recipe transforms 7 simple ingredients in 20 minutes or less. Just remember red, white and green!
Before you run wild, let’s briefly discuss the sauce. Plump, succulent cherry tomatoes simmer in butter, olive oil and garlic while the penne pasta cooks. The butter should be cold. When cold butter combines with hot tomatoes, the juices form a natural, creamy sauce. A heavy hand of fresh basil elevates the taste along with specks of salty, Parmesan cheese.
Why You’ll Love This Dish:
- Easy, 20-minute meal
- Less than 10 ingredients
- Crowd-pleasing flavors and textures
- Naturally vegetarian (can be made gluten free and/or vegan)
Tips For The Cook:
- Most “burst” cherry tomato sauce recipes call for whole cherry tomatoes. This is fine. But I like to cut them in half instead. Halved cherry tomatoes release their juice faster during the cooking process, which adds instant flavor (plus, you don’t have to worry about biting into a whole cherry tomato that ends up squirting hot juice in your face 😬).
- This dish can be served warm or at room temperature. Typically, I do warm for dinner and room temperature for a summery, pasta salad vibe.
- Customize it. This penne recipe is excellent topped with a few cubes of sautéed chicken or shrimp. A splash of cream is nice too, if you have some on hand.
Ingredients You Will Need:
- Penne pasta
- Olive oil
- Butter
- Garlic
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Fresh Basil
- Parmesan cheese
How To Make It {Step-By-Step Recipe}
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Do not drain.
- Meanwhile, halve the cherry tomatoes; set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter, olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes release their juice and the sauce thickens slightly about 5-7 minutes (use this time to cut the basil into thin ribbons). Add a handful of ground Parmesan cheese to taste and stir will to combine.
- At this point, the pasta should be done. Using a fine mesh strainer, scoop out the pasta and add it directly to the pan. Stir well to coat. Add the basil.
- Give it a taste. Adjust seasoning with extra salt and pepper, if needed.
- Portion the penne pasta into bowls Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil to serve.
More Pasta Recipes To Try
- Ragù Bolognese Sauce
- Aglio e Olio (Garlic and Oil)
- Real Alfredo Sauce (No Cream)
- 20-Minute Arrabbiata Sauce
- Quick Sicilian-Style Tomato Sauce
- Easy Golden Butter & Sage Pasta Sauce
- Authentic Pomodoro Sauce (Fresh or Canned)
- Homemade Italian Sausage Ragù
- Classic Italian Basil Pesto (Pesto alla Genovese)
- Easy Pesto alla Trapanese (Sicilian Pesto)
- 6-Ingredient Sun Dried Tomato Pesto
- Creamy, 5-Ingredient Pasta Carbonara
- Ultra-Quick Creamy Lemon Ricotta Pasta With Spinach
- 30-Minute Rigatoni With Vodka Sauce
Behind The Scenes…
This is my youngest. My little helper. He’s always close by and ready to assist (everyone needs a Virgo assistant!). The lighting for today’s shoot was really nice… a little overcast with bursts of sunlight here and there. I still shoot in natural light only, although I do wonder sometimes if artificial lighting for food photography is more practical? Nonetheless, enjoy the recipe!
PrintJuicy Penne Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes And Basil
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Category: Pasta Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This easy, penne pasta recipe is all about the sauce! Cherry tomatoes simmer in a combination of olive oil, butter, and garlic until juicy and sweet. It’s the perfect, weeknight meal.
Ingredients
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 6 tbsp butter
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 3 pints (2 1/4 lbs) sweet cherry or grape tomatoes
- ground Parmesan cheese, to taste
- large handful of fresh basil leaves
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Do not drain.
- Meanwhile, halve the cherry tomatoes; set aside.
- In a large skillet, melt the butter, olive oil and garlic over medium heat. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes release their juice and the sauce thickens slightly, about 5-7 minutes (I use this time to thinly slice the basil into ribbons). Add a handful of ground Parmesan cheese to taste, and stir will to combine.
- At this point, the pasta should be done. Using a fine mesh strainer, scoop out the pasta and add it directly to the pan. It’s OK if some of the water clings to the pasta. Stir well to coat. Note: if the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the pasta cooking water to loosen the texture.
- Add the basil.
- Taste, and season with more salt and pepper if needed.
- Portion the penne pasta into bowls. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese, black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil to serve.
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