A rustic, creamy, thick and full of flavour Cherry Tomato Sauce, that's perfect for serving over pasta. It's made with only 6 ingredients and is easy enough for midweek, yet worthy of company too.
For the carb addicts amongst us who are always looking for something new and saucy to smother their pasta in, enter my Cherry Tomato Sauce. It's here for all of your pasta tossing and thwapping on top of everything needs.
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And here's exactly what you need to know about this sauce:
- creamy / tomatoey / herby / rich / rustic sauce vibes
- juicy, bursty cherry tomatoes throughout
- quick and easy
- super yum
And here's what else you need to know about this Cherry Tomato Sauce:
It's meal prep and freezer friendly and it clings to pasta in all the right ways!
So yes, what I'm trying to say is, you need this Cherry Tomato Sauce in your life. As it is. Exactly as written, in all of its rustic, chunky, thick and packed with flavour glory.
How to use cherry tomato sauce
I see many situations where this delish sauce fits:
- Got a big family? - Feed them all quickly and easily
- Meal Prep - Make a massive batch and dip into it all week long. It keeps well in the fridge for 5 or 6 days and freezes perfectly.
- Date Night - You, your significant other, this, spaghetti for a Lady and the Tramp type moment, a fresh, crisp salad and a good bottle of vino
- Feeding the fussy kiddos? - Most of them like spaghetti and pasta sauce!
- A treat yo'self night - You, piles of pasta, obscene amounts of vegan parm or vegan ricotta and a soppy movie?
- It's also pretty good when dolloped on vegan meatloaf, burgers, grilled tofu, roasted potatoes, spread in a panini or sandwich, used in place of marinara in lasagna or pizza. You could even use it as the base in my Vegan Shakshuka.
What ingredients do you need?
Here's what you will be needing to make this delicious cherry tomato sauce:
How to make Cherry Tomato Sauce
And with so many tomato sauce recipes out there, here's the low down on how to make mine:
Step 1 - Sauté the onions and garlic then throw in the dried herbs, seasoning and tomatoes and let them burst and caramelize up a bit
Step 2 - Add tomato paste and stir it all up ... It will be super thick and gloopy ...
Step 3 - Then add some plant-milk. A nice creamy one is good. I like to use my cashew milk but store bought milk is fine too.
Step 4 - And stir it all up to make a lovely, creamy, thick sauce
Step 5 - Toss it through some freshly cooked pasta and you're done!
Success Tips
- The combo of fresh tomatoes and tomato paste is what gives such great, concentrated flavour and creamy consistency. Don't be tempted to use regular canned tomatoes instead.
- Whilst it's great when freshly made, the flavors in the sauce develop even more if you make it a day or two before you need it. Just make it and store it in a sealed container in the fridge.
- My biggest tip though, is to really carb up and serve some of my No Knead Focaccia Bread on the side of your Cherry Tomato Sauce laden pasta. Just perfect for sopping up that sauce!
So there we have it. Here’s to you and me diving headfirst into Cherry Tomato Sauce doused pasta ...
Hungry for more?
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📖 Recipe
Cherry Tomato Sauce
Author:
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional - sauté with a few tablespoons of water instead to make the recipe oil-free)
- 1 medium onion , chopped finely
- 4 cloves garlic , chopped very finely
- 2 teaspoons dried herbs , rosemary, herbs de Provence, thyme, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning all work really well (use what you like best. Any or a combination of them is fine).
- 1½ teaspoons fine salt , plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 heaping cups / 350 g halved cherry or grape tomatoes , or the same quantity of fresh larger tomatoes chopped into chunky pieces
- ⅓ cup / 5½ tablespoons tomato paste (tomato puree in the UK) - Don't use regular canned tomatoes
- 1 cup / 240 ml unsweetened milk of choice , I like to use a creamy milk like my cashew milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Warm a tablespoon of olive oil (or water for oil-free) in a large sauté pan over a medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook, moving frequently until just starting to colour, then add the garlic. Cook for a minute longer.
- Add the tomatoes and keep moving everything around for about 4 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst a bit and are just starting to caramelize.
- Turn the heat down to medium low, and add the salt and pepper and herbs, then the tomato paste. Stir together well.
- Pour in the milk and stir well until a creamy sauce is formed. Keep it simmering over the heat for about 7 minutes, until the sauce reduces down and thickens up enough to coat the pasta well. If you leave it any longer and it thickens up too much, simply add another little bit of milk to thin it out.
NOTES
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
Tammy says
Currently simmering this on my stove. Oh my god yum. I’m at the step to add the milk and I don’t know if I really want to. It’s kinda perfect the way it is!