Description
A big bowl of pasta with sweet jammy cherry tomatoes, slick extra-virgin olive oil, fragrant basil and sautéed garlic makes for a quick satisfying weeknight dinner that tastes just like summer! This easy meal looks just as pretty as it is tasty, and it can be on your table in 50 min.
Ingredients
Scale
- ½ bunch of basil (about 30 leaves)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 5 anchovy fillets, drained from the olive oil-packed jar (omit if you don’t like anchovies)
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- ½ tsp fine table salt
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- pinch of red chili flakes
- 350 g cherry tomatoes (¾ pound)
- 2 tbsp capers, drained (omit if you don’t like capers)
- 255 g dried pasta (9 oz)
Instructions
- Make the sauce. Pick the basil leaves off the stems. Gather the leaves into a mound, chop them and set them aside. Peel the garlic cloves and mince them. Heat the olive oil in a deep non-stick frying pan over medium heat. When hot, sauté the garlic until fragrant and just beginning to brown, about 2 to 3 min. Add the anchovies and continue cooking for 2 min while mashing up the fillets with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the tomato paste and spread it all over the garlic and anchovies using the back of the spoon. Cook for 2 min. Season with the salt, black pepper and chilli flakes. Add the cherry tomatoes, capers and stir well. Cover the pan with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 min or until the tomatoes have burst. Add a little water if the sauce thickens too much.
- Cook the pasta. While the sauce is cooking, fill a large pot with water and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Add 1 tbsp of fine sea salt to the pot and cook the pasta according to the packet instructions until al dente. Reserve half a cup of starchy cooking water by dipping a heatproof cup into the boiling water (be careful with your hand). Then drain the pasta.
- Combine. Toss the pasta in the frying pan with the sauce. Mix well. If the sauce is too thick and doesn’t coat the pasta properly, you can loosen it with a splash of reserved cooking water. Toss until well incorporated and check the consistency again. Add a splash more if needed. Taste and season accordingly. Divide between plates or bowls, drizzle lightly with olive oil if desired and sprinkle over the chopped basil.
Notes
You can make the sauce in advance and keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it covered over low heat until warm enough to toss in the pasta.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 699
