This roasted cherry tomato pasta turns sweet, caramelized tomatoes, basil, and a spoonful of ricotta into a silky sauce that clings beautifully to every bite of pasta. It is creamy without feeling heavy and simple enough for a relaxed summer lunch or an easy vegetarian dinner.
Roast the tomatoes in advance and dinner comes together in about 15 minutes. Starting with fresh tomatoes takes about 50 minutes in total, but most of that time is hands-off roasting.
Table Of Contents
Why You'll Love This Creamy Roasted Tomato Pasta
- Perfect for making ahead. Roast a batch of tomatoes when you have time, then keep them in the fridge or freezer for a fast pasta dinner.
- Simple, seasonal ingredients. Cherry tomatoes, basil, garlic, olive oil, ricotta, and Parmesan make a fresh, flavourful sauce with very little effort.
- Easy to adapt. Use spaghetti, linguine, or your favourite short pasta. For a vegan version, use plant-based ricotta or simply leave it out.
Ingredient Notes
See the recipe card below for full ingredient quantities.
- Tomatoes. Cherry or grape tomatoes are both ideal here. Their sweetness intensifies in the oven, giving the sauce its rich, fresh tomato flavour. Use good extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil, and a clove of garlic for the best result.
- Pasta shape. For the pasta, spaghetti and linguine are especially good with this silky sauce, but penne, rigatoni, or fusilli work well too. Whole-milk ricotta gives the sauce its creamiest texture; use a plant-based alternative, or omit it, if needed.
- The green Parmesan. It's optional but makes a lovely finishing touch. Use well-aged Parmigiano Reggiano and pulse it briefly with fresh basil until it looks like a medium-fine crumb.
Top Tips – Don’t Miss
- Roast the tomatoes well. They are ready when they look wrinkled, collapsed, and juicy. Proper roasting concentrates their sweetness and gives the sauce more depth.
- Save the pasta water. Reserve a cup before draining the pasta, then add it to the sauce a little at a time until everything looks glossy and creamy.
- Cook the pasta al dente. Finish it in a wide pan with the sauce for a minute or two so it absorbs flavour without becoming soft.
- Make it ahead. Cool the roasted tomatoes, then blend them smooth or leave them slightly chunky. Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months. Freeze in recipe-size portions to make pasta night even easier.
- Choose your texture. Blend the sauce until completely smooth, or pulse it for a more rustic finish. For an extra-silky sauce, pass it through a sieve after blending.
FAQs
Cherry or grape tomatoes are ideal because they're naturally more sweet and roast quickly, but any ripe tomato will roast down nicely. Roma tomatoes are a great larger option. Just cut them into halves or quarters so they roast evenly.
Absolutely — it freeze beautifully. Skip the ricotta, blend roasted tomatoes only (with oil, their juices and basil) and portion them into an ice-cube tray or small containers and freeze for up to 3 months.
It's up to you. For a smooth, creamy sauce, blitz the tomatoes and ricotta fully in a blender. For a more rustic, chunky sauce, pulse briefly or simply mash everything with a fork and stir it together in the pan.
Yes. The ricotta adds creaminess, but you can leave it out for a lighter roasted tomato sauce, or swap in mascarpone, or a plant-based ricotta. Even without it, the pasta water gives the sauce body.
It can be — the roasted tomato and ricotta sauce is tasty at room temperature. If serving cold, loosen it with a little olive oil rather than pasta water, since the sauce firms up as it cools.
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Full Recipe
Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta with Green Parmesan
Video
Ingredients
For the roasted tomatoes:
- 500 grams cherry tomatoes , about 1 lb
- ¼ cup Extra virgin olive oil
- 1-2 clove garlic
- 2 sprigs Fresh basil leaves
- Salt , to taste
For the sauce and pasta:
- roasted tomatoes with their pan juices and oil (from above)
- 3 tablespoon ricotta cheese
- 1 sprig fresh basil
- 400 g pasta , about 14 oz (spaghetti, linguine or short pasta - all shapes work well!)
For Green Parmesan:
- 70 grams Parmigiano Reggiano cheese , about 3 ounces or a couple of cubes
- 5 fresh basil leaves
Instructions
Roast the tomatoes:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F).
- Toss the tomatoes with olive oil, garlic, basil, and salt in a roasting pan.Roast for 30–40 minutes, until tomatoes are soft and slightly caramelized. Toss halfway through cooking.Make Ahead Tip: Cool and blend until smooth or slightly chunky (up to yourtaste). Refrigerate up to 5 days, or freeze in large silicone cube tray and store in the freezer up to 3 months.)
Blend the sauce:
- Add roasted tomatoes with their pan juices and oil, ricotta and a small sprig of basil to a blender or immersion-blender container. Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt as needed.
- For an extra-silky sauce, pass it through a sieve to remove the tomato skins. I usually don't since skins are rich in nutrients and fiber, plus I love its slightly rustic texture.
Cook and finish the pasta:
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente. Reserve 2 cups of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- Warm the sauce in a large pan over low heat. Add the drained pasta.
- Add a generous splash of pasta cooking water. Set the heat to medium.
- Toss or move pasta in the pan with thongs for 1–2 minutes, adding more pasta water as needed, until glossy and creamy.
- Serve topped with freshly grated Parmesan or my green Parmesan if you like.
Make Green Parmesan:
- Add a couple of cubes of Parmesan cheese to a food processor along with a few fresh basil leaves. Pulse quickly to get medium-fine crumb.
Notes
- Timing: 50 minutes from raw tomatoes, including 30–40 minutes of largely unattended roasting; about 15 minutes when using pre-roasted tomatoes.
- Make ahead: the roasted tomatoes keep 5 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer — this is what makes the dish so fast. Use 1 cup of roasted tomatoes for this recipe and freeze the rest in portions for another quick pasta night.
- Texture: blend fully and sieve for an extra-smooth sauce, or mash/pulse for rustic.
- Do not skip the pasta cooking water — it is key to a smooth, creamy sauce.
- Vegan: skip the ricotta or use a plant-based version; the tomatoes and pasta water carry the sauce.
- See the Top Tips – Don't Miss section above for extra details and to avoid the most common mistakes.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
LE says
Would cottage cheese work okay instead of the ricotta?
Svitlana says
I haven't tried cottage cheese with this pasta so I cannot say for sure. However I did make this pasta WITHOUT ricotta and turned out absolutely delicious. If you do try it with cottage cheese please let me know 🙂