This simple fresh vegan tomato pasta is as easy as it is delicious! Saute some cherry tomatoes or any fresh diced tomatoes in olive oil and garlic and then toss in some fresh basil for a quick and easy meal that tastes as if it came from your favorite Italian restaurant!
This pasta sauce is made with 5 simple, easy-to-find ingredients, in less than 10 minutes. Plus, it's vegan and gluten-free!
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This is one of my family's favorite meals. There is a kind of magic that happens when the acidity of the tomatoes mixes with the olive oil and it turns into a creamy flavorful sauce. It's easy enough to whip up in minutes for an easy weeknight meal but delicious and beautiful enough to serve at a dinner party.
❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
- This pasta is simply delicious.
- It's quick and easy.
- It's free of dairy, soy, and nuts so nearly everyone can enjoy it.
- This recipe requires ingredients that are easy to find at any grocery store.
🧾 Ingredients and substitutions
- Fresh Tomatoes - cherry tomatoes are easy and usually taste good even when tomatoes aren't in season, but you can use any ripe tomato. The riper the better.
- Olive Oil - any good quality olive oil will work. You can use light olive oil, but an extra virgin will have more flavor. You can reduce the amount of olive oil, but this is what gives the sauce a lot of its flavor and creaminess.
- Garlic - for flavor. Fresh minced garlic works best.
- Basil - for flavor. Fresh chopped basil works best, but you can also use some vegan pesto or another herb like oregano or rosemary if you prefer.
- Salt - for flavor. You can use as much or little as you like.
- Pasta - you can use any vegan pasta that you would like. I like to use spaghetti, penne, or rigatoni. Since the sauce is naturally gluten-free, you can simply use gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free meal if needed. See which brands of pasta are vegan.
🥄 How to make cherry tomato pasta.
Step 1 - Boil pasta in salted water according to package directions.
Step 2 - While the pasta is boiling, put olive oil and minced garlic in a pan and turn the heat on to very low - letting the garlic warm up in the oil for about 5 minutes but not turn brown.
Step 3 - While the garlic is warming in the olive oil, wash and cut your cherry tomatoes in half (or larger tomatoes into bite-sized pieces).
Step 4 - Add the tomatoes to the oil and garlic, turn up the heat to medium, and sprinkle with salt.
Step 5 - Saute the tomatoes in the olive oil for about 5 minutes until they start to release their juices and combine them with the olive oil.
Step 6 - Toss in fresh basil and cooked drained pasta and mix well.
Step 7 - Serve hot or cold. Sprinkle with vegan parmesan if desired.
📖 Variations
This is a great basic recipe that you can keep in your permanent weekly meal rotation by changing it up a little. Add what you would like to make it your own and you'll never get bored.
Here are some things you may like to add
- Olives - black olives, calamata, or any others that you choose will add color and flavor to the dish.
- Capers - for a salty pickle-like flavor that pairs nicely with the tomatoes.
- Vegan Sausage - for spice and added protein. You can use any vegan sausage like tofurky, beyond meat or you can make your own vegan sausage crumbles to add to the dish or gluten-free vegan sausage links to serve on the side.
- Pesto - for an added basil flavor you can add 1-2 tbsp of vegan pesto. You can use store-bought or make your own vegan pesto.
- Vegan Cheese - top with some shredded vegan mozzarella cheese.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- Use good quality fresh ripe tomatoes. This is the most important thing you can do to make a delicious sauce.
- If the tomatoes are not in season and taste slightly bitter, add 1-2 tsp of salt to the sauce.
- Warm the garlic in the olive oil for about 5 minutes to infuse the oil with flavor.
- Don't overcook the tomatoes. You want the cook them enough to release their juices and blend them with the olive oil, but not cook them down so much that they lose their fresh flavor.
- This recipe works great for meal prep and cold pasta salads too!
- Serve it with my Vegan Broccoli Salad, Vegan Kale Salad, or Vegan Caesar Salad.
📌 Be sure to follow me on Pinterest for new vegan recipes!
📋 Vegan tomato pasta recipe
Vegan Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta
For the fresh tomato sauce
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 4 cups tomatoes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup basil chopped
Instructions
- Boil 16 oz of pasta according to package directions.
- While the pasta is boiling, put 1/3 cup olive oil and 3-4 cloves minced garlic in a pan and turn the heat on to very low - letting the garlic warm up in the oil for about 5 minutes but not turn brown.
- While the garlic is warming in the olive oil, wash and cut 4 cups of cherry tomatoes in half (or larger tomatoes into bite-sized pieces).
- Add the tomatoes to the oil and garlic, turn up the heat to medium, and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp salt.
- Saute the tomatoes in the olive oil for about 5 minutes until they start to release their juices and combine with the olive oil.
- Toss in 1/4 cup of fresh basil and cooked drained pasta and mix well.
- Serve hot or cold. Sprinkle with vegan parmesan if desired and salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Use good quality fresh ripe tomatoes. This is the most important thing you can do to make a delicious sauce.
- If the tomatoes are not in season and taste slightly bitter, add 1-2 tsp of salt to the sauce.
- Warm the garlic in the olive oil for about 5 minutes to infuse the oil with flavor.
- Don't overcook the tomatoes. You want to cook them enough to release their juices and blend with the olive oil, but not cook down so much that they lose their fresh flavor.
- This recipe works great for meal prep and cold pasta salads too!
Nutrition
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Click the stars above or leave a comment! I'd love to hear from you!
So simply delicious! I was looking to use my bounty of tomatoes and basil and here it was-I did add mushrooms. Thank you!
You're welcome. So happy that you liked it! 🙂
I didn’t have fresh tomatoes so I used 2 cans of fire-roasted crushed tomatoes. Very goodfor a quickie! Thanks!!
Sounds delicious! I'm so happy that the recipe worked well for you! 🙂
Great recipe for a broke vegan college student!
I'm so happy that you like it! 🙂
This is unbelievably delicious! Especially for how easy and simple it is! Definitely good with kalamata olives.
I'm so happy that you liked it, Susan. It is amazingly good for such a simple recipe! 🙂
I can't believe how good this was for being so simple! I will be making this all the time!
This looks delicious! Thank you!! I will definitely try it 🙂
Thanks so much! I think that you'll love it! 🙂