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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Simple Spaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Olives & Basil

    Published: Aug 28, 2016 · Modified: Feb 16, 2022 by Cara Kretz · This post may contain affiliate links · 2 Comments

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    Spaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Olives & BasilSpaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Olives & Basil is super easy and perfect for a light summer dinner! You can have this meal on the table in 30 minutes!

    When tomatoes are in harvest I am always looking for ways to enjoy them. You can roast any fresh tomato. Roma tomatoes are great because they are meaty and have less moisture. I am loving the sweet grape or cherry tomatoes right now.

    Roast the cherry tomatoes and some smashed garlic cloves drizzled with olive oil for about 30 minutes. They will caramelize a bit and stay juicy. Toss with fresh basil, pitted kalamata olives, and lots of freshly shaved parmesan cheese.  The real secret to making this pasta perfect is to get a balance between pasta and sauce. The pasta is the main ingredient! Be sure the spaghetti is cooked to just al dente  - "to the tooth". I tend to go heavy on the red pepper flakes and black pepper. Adjust the seasonings to your liking.

    Spaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Olives & Basil

     

    Spaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Olives & Basil
    Print Pin

    Simple Spaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Olives & Basil

    Spaghetti with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Olives & Basil is super easy and perfect for a light summer dinner! You can roast any fresh tomato. Sweet grape or cherry tomatoes are usually available year-round. When Roma tomatoes are in season, they are great because they are meaty and have less moisture. You can adjust the spiciness of the pasta by adding more or less red pepper flakes.
    Course Pasta
    Prep Time 45 minutes
    Cook Time 30 minutes
    Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
    Author Homemade Italian Cooking with Cara

    Ingredients

    • 1 teaspoon Kosher salt for tomatoes + 2 tablespoons salt for pasta water
    • 1 pound spaghetti pasta
    • 2 pints cherry tomatoes
    • 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil + more for finishing pasta
    • 6 cloves garlic peeled and smashed
    • ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives
    • Pinch of red pepper flakes or to taste
    • 1 cup fresh basil leaves torn into bite size pieces.
    • ½ cup shaved parmesan cheese

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
    • Cut tomatoes in half. Spread tomatoes and smashed garlic cloves in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a silicon mat or parchment paper. Drizzle 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt and black pepper over the tomatoes. Toss the tomatoes and garlic around a bit to evenly coat with oil. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes or until the tomatoes are slightly caramelized and the you can start to smell the garlic aroma.
    • In a large stockpot, water and add 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Add pasta and cook al dente - about 6 - 7 minutes. The only way to really know is to test a strand at 6 minutes. Taste again at 7 minutes. Drain and transfer to a warm pasta bowl. Try to time the pasta and the tomatoes to be ready at the same time.
    • Immediately add the roasted tomatoes, olives, basil leaves, red pepper flakes and a drizzle more of olive oil on the pasta and toss. Add the parmesan cheese and toss again.
    • Serve immediately.

     

     

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Meredith Vrobel

      June 09, 2019 at 10:52 am

      Is it 1 teaspoon of salt for baking the cherry tomatoes or 2 teaspoons salt? Recipe & instructions differ. Looks amazing!

      Reply
      • Cara Kretz

        June 13, 2019 at 10:38 am

        Meredith, thanks for the question. It should be 1 teaspoon of salt for baking the tomatoes. I have corrected the recipe. I hope you try. It really is one of my faves!

        Best,
        Cara

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Cara Mia Cipolla. My goal is to pass on my recipes, tips and secrets and hopefully inspire others to become great home cooks. In addition to the blog, I also write cookbooks, teach cooking classes, and take on the occasional consulting project for other culinary businesses.

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