To make creamy roasted tomato pasta, noodles are cooked and encased in a creamy, garlicky tomato sauce. If you want another pasta meal with a creamy tomato sauce, try my Copycat Carbone’s Spicy Pasta.

Creamy Roasted Tomato Pasta

Amelia

Creamy Roasted Tomato Pasta is a rich and comforting dish featuring al dente noodles tossed in a velvety, garlicky roasted tomato sauce with a touch of heat from red pepper flakes. Blended cherry tomatoes create a smooth base enhanced by parmesan and cream, while a splash of reserved pasta water brings it all together.

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Prep Time 15

Cook Time 15

Total Time 30

Course Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8 People

Calories 349 kcal

Ingredients

16 Ounce Cavatappi noodles, cooked al dente, reserving a cup of pasta water
3 Tbsp Olive oil
1 Yellow onion, diced (approximately 1 cup)
6 Cloves garlic, minced
3 Pints cherry tomatoes
1 Tsp Kosher salt
½ Tsp Pepper
¼ Tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
½ Cup Heavy cream
½ Cup Grated parmesan, plus more for garnish
1 Cup Pasta water, reserved from cooked pasta
Parsley, for garnish

Instructions

The first step is to prepare the pasta. As directed on the package, bring a big pot of water to a boil, add the pasta noodles, and cook them until al dente.
Before draining and rinsing the noodles, make sure to set aside 1 cup of the cooked pasta water. Before adding the cooked noodles and pasta water to the sauce, set them aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the onion and simmer for 5 to 6 minutes, or until it is tender.
Cook for one more minute after adding the garlic.
Add the cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes begin to blister (8–10 minutes).
Fill a blender* with the tomato mixture, and whirl until smooth.
Return to the skillet and stir in the cooked pasta, heavy cream, and parmesan. Mix to blend. Add a tablespoon of the pasta water you set aside at a time until the sauce reaches the consistency you want if it's too thick.
Garnish with parsley and fresh parmesan. Serve.

Notes

When putting hot ingredients in a blender, always use caution. I prefer to add the ingredients after setting the blender in the sink. To allow steam to escape, place the lid on but remove the middle section. To avoid spills and the possibility of burns, fold a towel over multiple times and place it over the lid. Gently return the sauce to your skillet after blending until it’s smooth.

Keyword Creamy Roasted Tomato Pasta

Pasta with Creamy Roasted Tomatoes

It’s simple to create this creamy roasted tomato pasta, and you can change it up by adding more protein or vegetables. (It would taste great with sausage, shrimp, or chicken added.) Al dente pasta is the first step. Cherry tomatoes are then used to make a creamy roasted tomato sauce. The spaghetti dish gets a little kick from the red pepper flakes.

Ingredients for Creamy Roasted Tomato Pasta

Tomatoes: For this dish, I used cherry tomatoes. You can also use whole tomatoes chopped into small bits.

Garlic: The best garlic is minced. Alternately, cut the garlic cloves into little bits. In this recipe for Roasted Garlic Grilled Cheese, I show you how to roast the garlic. If you roast it separately, you will add it when you add the cooked pasta noodles.

Crushed Red Pepper Flakes: The spaghetti dish gets a little kick from the red pepper flakes. You can, however, omit them if you’d like.

Pasta: Any pasta or noodles you have on hand will work. However, pasta with grooves and curves works best since it retains the sauce better. Additionally, you can prepare your homemade pasta! After draining the noodles, be sure to save aside approximately one cup of pasta water. Later, I will clarify that.

How to Prepare Pasta with Creamy Roasted Tomatoes

Cook the noodles al dente according to the package’s instructions to begin preparing this delectable creamy roasted tomato pasta dish. Remember to set aside a cup of pasta water for subsequent additions. While you make the sauce, drain and rinse the noodles and set them aside.

To create the sauce, heat the olive oil in a big skillet over medium heat. Add the onion to the hot oil and sauté until it softens, about 5 minutes. Cook for one more minute after adding the garlic.

After that, add the crushed red pepper flakes (if using), cherry tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Stirring often, cook until the tomatoes begin to blister, eight to ten minutes.

After adding the tomato mixture to a blender, pulse it until smooth. Then, return it to the skillet and stir in the cooked noodles, heavy cream, and parmesan. Mix to blend. This is where the pasta water that was set aside becomes useful.

Add the water a spoonful at a time until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. (If the dish’s thickness is acceptable, there’s no need to add any pasta water.)

Serve the Creamy Roasted Tomato Pasta with more parsley and parmesan cheese on top. For a full and hearty supper, serve with roasted asparagus and breadsticks on the side.

Why Make Pasta Water Reservations?

A couple of my pasta recipes (Spicy Gnocchi Bread Bowl and Vodka Sauce) call for setting aside pasta water for the sauce. Is this significant, though? Indeed! After the noodles are cooked, the pasta water is added to the sauce.

Instead of coating the noodles, the starch from the pasta water also aids in binding the pasta and sauce together. Thanks to this, every bite will taste full of flavor!

Does this require a blender to make?

Indeed! If you don’t have a blender or can’t find one, you can still create the sauce without one. Instead, you might purée the tomatoes with an immersion blender. However, if you use an immersion blender, make sure to simmer the sauce in a deep pot rather than a pan.