This Cherry Tomato and Pesto Pasta is your go-to for lazy summer nights or easy entertaining. It’s fast, fresh, and gives you restaurant quality pasta with very little effort.
Looking for a delicious way to enjoy summer’s fresh tomatoes? This Cherry Tomato and Pesto Pasta recipe is it!
There’s something magical about the way cherry tomatoes burst with flavor when they’re kissed by heat and tossed with garlicky pesto and warm, nourishing pasta.
This summery pasta recipe is fast, fresh, and full of sunshine. It brings bold flavor with minimal effort, making it perfect for feeding the family on a busy weeknight.
It’s the kind of meal you can throw together in 20 minutes, yet tastes like something you’d enjoy at your favorite Italian cafe.
Make this once and you’ll want to keep it on repeat all summer long!
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🌟 Why you’ll love this recipe
You’ll love this fresh summer pasta for so many reasons!
- Takes just 20 minutes start to finish
- Uses peak-season cherry tomatoes for max flavor
- Tastes delicious warm or chilled
- No oven required
- Customizable with your favorite pesto or pasta shape
- Looks beautiful and vibrant on the plate
- Vegetarian and can easily be made vegan
🛒 Ingredient notes
What really makes this pasta shine is the combo of sweet roasted cherry tomatoes, rich herby pesto, and toasty pine nuts. The flavors are bright and balanced.
- Cherry tomatoes: Sweet, juicy, and perfect for blistering quickly on the stove.
- Pesto sauce: Use store-bought for ease or or make our homemade fresh basil pasta for extra flavor. Both work great! Use a pesto without parmesan cheese to make this dish vegan.
- Pasta: You can use almost any shape of pasta for this! I have used spaghetti, linguine, and cavatappi. Short shapes like fusilli, orecchiette, or farfalle also work well to hold the sauce.
- Olive oil: For sautéing the tomatoes and adding a silky finish.
- Pine nuts: Toasted until golden for a buttery crunch.
- Grated parmesan cheese: Adds salty richness. Use vegan parmesan cheese alternative and/or nutritional yeast to make this vegan and dairy-free.
- Parsley: A pop of green freshness for garnish.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
You’ll find a full list of ingredients with measurements, plus more detailed instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here are some step-by-step photos to help you make this recipe.
- Start by cooking the pasta in a large pot of water according to package directions.
- Then lightly toasting the pine nuts in a pan on the stove.
- Next, blister the tomatoes in the pan with olive oil.
- Drain the pasta and add it to the tomatoes.
- Add the pesto and toss all together.
- Add the toasted pinenuts and toss together.
- Serve garnished with chopped parsley and/or grated parmesan, if desired.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
You can skip them or substitute sunflower seeds or toasted breadcrumbs for crunch without nuts.
Yes, but if using larger tomatoes like Romas or Beefsteak tomatoes, you’ll need to chop them into smaller pieces before lightly blistering.
Absolutely! It tastes great at room temperature or cold, making it perfect for meal prep or summer gatherings.
Grilled chicken, shrimp, white beans, or even burrata cheese are all delicious with this pasta.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
🍽 Serving ideas
Light yet satisfying, and truly delicious served warm or cold, this pasta packs up perfectly for picnics, barbecues, and beach days.
Serve it for busy weeknight dinners alongside pesto bread and a cucumber tomato salad.
For dinner parties, serve it with an antipasto skewers starter and garlic parmesan knots to soak up that tasty pesto sauce. Then wow guests with a dairy-free tiramisu for dessert.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
This pesto pasta pairs well with either a crisp white wine or a rosé.
Vermentino – This crisp, citrusy Italian white is perfect with herbaceous pesto and juicy tomatoes.
Rosé from Provence – Dry, floral, and refreshing, it bumps up the summery vibe and complements the pine nuts and cheese.
More pasta recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Cherry Tomato Pesto Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 ounces pasta
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 2 Tablespoons pine nuts
- 10 ounces cherry tomatoes (about 24-30)
- ¾ cup pesto sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- grated or shaved parmesan, sliced basil for serving and garnish, if desired
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil water and cook pasta according to package directions.
- In a large skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pine nuts and lightly toast, stirring regularly, for about 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and transfer to a bowl.
- Add remaining one tablespoon of olive oil to the skillet and then add the tomatoes. Cook the tomatoes until they start to slightly char and blister, anywhere from 3 to 6 minutes. Take care not to cook them for too long that they fully burst.
- Drain the pasta, and add it to the skillet along with the pesto. Toss all together.
- Sprinkle with the toasted pine nuts.
- Garnish with grated or shaved parmesan and dried or freshly sliced basil, if desired. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
