Spicy Burst Tomato Pasta
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This Spicy Burst Tomato Pasta is a simple vegan pasta recipe made with cherry tomatoes, lots of garlic & basil and chili crisp oil for some heat!
I took a poll on Instagram the other day about what everyone is cooking right now. And the overwhelming answer was PASTA! Ask and you shall receive. This Spicy Burst Tomato Pasta has super simple ingredients, is ready in 35 minutes and is totally delicious. The tomatoes are cooked on the stove – so no need to turn on the oven. This is the best weeknight pasta idea!
Step One: Cook the Tomatoes
Heat some oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add whole cherry tomatoes, lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes. Move them around the skillet every few minutes so that every side has time to cook.
Once the tomatoes have burst, you know that they’re ready. If there are any stragglers that haven’t burst yet, you can gently smash them with the back of a wooden spoon.
Step Two: Cook the Pasta & Make the Sauce
I decided to use rigatoni for this recipe, but you can really use any type of pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the pasta. Be sure to only cook until al dente – the pasta will continue to cook once you make the sauce.
Before draining, grab some of that starchy pasta water, and then drain the pasta and set aside. Place the empty pot back on the stove and melt some vegan butter. Add LOTS of garlic, Italian seasoning and a pinch of salt & pepper. Cook for about 1 minute. You want it to be nice and fragrant.
Add the cooked pasta, chili crunch oil (or sub red pepper flakes), a splash of non-dairy milk and some of that pasta water. Gently toss for a couple minutes. This will finish cooking the pasta and the sauce will start to come together.
Step Three: Assemble & Serve
Right before serving, roughly tear apart some basil leaves and mix them into the pasta. Spoon the pasta into bowls and top with vegan parmesan.
This pasta has the perfect amount of spice and so much freshness from the basil & tomatoes. It is perfect if you are in need of a “fancy” meal that requires minimal effort!
Need more recipe ideas? Try these:
Spicy Burst Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes
- 8 ounces rigatoni or other pasta
- 2 tablespoons vegan butter
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon chili crisp or sub red pepper flakes
- splash non-dairy milk unsweetened
- 8 large basil leaves roughly torn
- vegan parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the tomatoes, lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes, or until they burst. Be sure to stir every couple minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Place the empty pot back on the stove over medium heat. Melt the butter and add the garlic, Italian seasoning and a pinch of salt & pepper. Cook for 1 minute, or until fragrant.
- Add the pasta, tomatoes (and their juices), chili crisp, a splash of milk and 1/2 cup of pasta water. Gently toss for a couple minutes until the sauce comes together. Add in the basil and give it one last toss.
- Sprinkle with vegan parmesan and serve.
Video
Delicious! And help up well for reheated lunches!
Recipe was a hit … very flavorful!  Will make it again.  You should review the instructions … it is not clear when you add the tomatoes into the mixture.  For a novice cook, that could be confusing.
This is another winner! I added some leftover Impossible Sausage and it was a hit! Adding to the rotation, thank you! 🙂
So glad you liked it August!
This was delicious and fairly quick to make, and minimal ingredients, I don’t know if it gets any better then that. This is totally going to be a repeatable meal for us.
Yayyyy! So glad you liked it Amanda!
Good Morning 🌞
The recipe just reads unsweetened milk, what is the amount?
Thanks R
“a splash” – there’s no real measurement 🙂