Tomato butter pasta: The only pasta dish you need in your life.
WARNING: This recipe actually contains no butter
I don’t know why we call this tomato butter pasta in our house when there is in fact no butter in this recipe. You know how that happens with certain dishes? They just get christened something that makes sense at the time and then for ever more that is what they are known as and no one in your house blinks when you use the somewhat strange name. This pasta dish contains no butter but it tastes creamy and rich with just a hint of sweetness: just like butter.
This is probably the dish I’ve cooked the most in my life. I couldn’t even begin to tell you how often I’ve made it. And whilst I’ve made so many different tomato sauces in my life, this is the one I come back to the most. I rather grandly called it a sauce just now, I’m not sure it even warrants that title as it really is so simple. But whilst it is simple, I wanted to share it with you as I think so often with cooking, simple is best.
It all comes together in the time it takes for the pasta to cook so this is perfect for a weeknight when time is short and energy is flagging. But I also love serving this when I have friends over and everyone always asks for more.
Here’s what happens. You start by boiling the kettle. Like with all good recipes. Not to make a cup of tea, although of course you could, but to get the water going for the pasta. I know you can boil it in the pan but I am inpatient and I’ve always used the kettle. Once the boiling water is in the pan, season generously. You want it salty like the sea, and don’t worry, you aren’t going to be eating all that salt, it just adds so much flavour. Cook your pasta once without salt and you will see the huge difference it makes. You can use any pasta you like, I love the twirliness of spaghetti or linguine but I am not a pasta snob and really any shape will work. Once the pasta is on to cook you can focus on the “sauce”.
The sauce is made up of olive oil, cherry tomatoes, garlic, lots of salt and pepper and pasta water. See I told you it was simple. But oh my goodness does it taste incredible (humble?) The whole thing is finished with basil and a lot of parmesan and I just don’t think there is a better pasta in the world.
Also this is the kind of sauce where I make the same amount of sauce whether I’m serving 2 people or 4. I also can’t lie to you - I’ve made this amount of sauce for just myself. More pasta, it’s a little less saucy, less pasta it’s a saucier affair. All are good. No wrong answers. Feel worried? Just add a little extra tomatoes.
My top tip when it comes to cooking pasta is perhaps two tips now I come to think of it. First always add the pasta to the sauce and toss it all together - never just dollop a bit of sauce onto the pasta when it’s in the bowl. And the second is linked to the first, you must slightly undercook your pasta - by about two minutes so that the moment you add it to the sauce it is actually a little bit too raw to eat. As you toss it with the sauce and a little pasta cooking water the pasta will finish cooking and will be perfect when you go to serve it. Do this and your pasta will be perfect.
I think with recipes like this, being too prescriptive with the weights is actually more annoying than helpful. So I’m not going to tell you the amount of parmesan you need to add, just know that the more generous you are the better.
Serves 2 with a good amount of sauce
Generous glug of olive oil, around 3 tbsp
200g linguine
500g cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 ladle pasta cooking water
handful of torn basil
Very generous grating of parmesan
Optional garnish:
burrata
Method
Begin by getting your pasta on to cook. Cook in boiling salty water for about 2 minutes less than the packet says.
In a deep sided frying pan, heat your oil. Once hot, add in the cherry tomatoes. No need to bother slicing them. Season well with Maldon flakey salt and pepper. After a few minutes the tomatoes should begin to collapse and you can kind of squish them with a wooden spoon. Now add the garlic. Cook for a minute and then add in a ladle of the pasta cooking water. Keep smooshing the tomatoes. What happens now is the starch in the pasta water mixes with the tomato juices and the oil to make the most incredibly delicious sauce. You can keep squishing until the tomatoes have all but disintegrated into a chunky-ish sauce or you can stop when the tomatoes have collapsed but still hold their shape. I do both depending on my mood, so do what suits you. Add more pasta water as you see fit but not too much - you aren’t making soup.
Once the pasta is al dente, add to the tomato pan. Toss it all together and cook for another minute or so. Add some grated parmesan and torn basil. Toss again.
Scoop onto plates. Top with half a burrata if you’re using and then add lots of black pepper and some more parmesan, more basil if you like. And enjoy!
Pasta Salad
I love serving this with a huge handful of rocket on the top and a drizzle of olive oil and a splash of balsamic - my idea of a pasta salad. This is my happy place.
Tomatoes
I love cherry tomatoes for this as they are just so easy, you don’t even need to bother slicing them which I love. If you want to use bigger tomatoes, I would peel them and dice them and then continue with the recipe by adding to plentiful hot olive oil. This will be good but it won’t be AS good as the way I do it. Sun gold or yellow cherry tomatoes also work really well, they don’t have to be red, and I also think they look so pretty in the sauce.
Cheese
We all know cheese makes everything better and the parmesan in this is key. I have on occasion been known to stir through some mascarpone - this is also v good. Not necessary but delicious none the less. For my children they like it with cheddar - not as good as parmesan but a little less salty and also good.
Basil
Don’t leave the basil out, it just adds little pockets of flavour which works so well. You could also dollop on a little pesto at the end. Or serve with half a burrata oozing over the top with a little pesto and a few basil leaves and toasted pine nuts and hello! Is this seat taken?
Have friends coming over?
I would make the “sauce” ahead of time. Get it to the point where you add the pasta cooking water and then just leave it. When you’re ready to eat, get the pasta on to cook and finish the sauce with the pasta cooking water and carry on. So easy and such stress free entertaining.
Added extras
Only if I have them lying around I might add some toasted breadcrumbs for a bit of crunch. If I had friends coming over I might be inclined to add a little bot of garlicky breadcrumbs to the table so people could spoon over some crumbs if they wanted. But I have never once done this when cooking for myself, so don’t feel it needs it.
Just a little video to show how quick and easy this is. Really hope you give it a go and let me know how you get on xx
Heaven on a plate as usual. Thank you Margie xx
Margie, is it fresh fried crumbs scattered on top of the burrata? Looks delicious and will try it! 😋