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Home » Recipes » Vegetables and Sides

Cherry Tomato Sauce with Basil

Published: May 15, 2022 · Modified: Jun 1, 2025 by Marisa Franca

Jump to Recipe
Cherry tomato sauce with basil on top of pasta in a white casserole dish.

The pan-roasting method for making cherry tomato sauce is quick and easy. The zingy acidity of the plump cherry tomatoes means the sauce can reach full flavor in no time at all. This company worthy sauce is sweet from the tomatoes and pungent from the garlic and herbs.

Another quick and easy tomato sauce that's delicious is one we've made by roasting grape tomatoes and garlic.

Cherry tomato sauce with basil on top of pasta in a white casserole dish.
This quick and easy recipe makes a luxurious pasta sauce that's loaded with flavor.
Jump to:
  • ❤️ Why you'll love this recipe
  • 🛒 Ingredients
  • 🗒 Instructions
  • 🔪 Equipment
  • 🥫Storage
  • 👩🏻‍🍳Tips
  • 🤔 FAQ's
  • 🍽 Serve with . . .
  • 📝Recipe
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments

❤️ Why you'll love this recipe

  • quick and easy to make.
  • uses up your abundance of juicy ripened cherry tomatoes.
  • freezes well for later use.
  • can easily be made into a yummy meat sauce by adding your favorite chicken or Italian sausage.

If you have a lot of cherry tomatoes like we do you've probably run out of ways to use them. The roasted cherry tomato sauce is certainly a delicious solution to the plethora of tomatoes.

🛒 Ingredients

Ingredients for the Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce Recipe.
Easy ingredients make a delicious rich sauce the whole family enjoys.

As An Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Here is a grocery list of the ingredients you'll need to make the tomato sauce with cherry tomatoes over pasta.

  • 1 pound dried pasta - we used shells
  • extra-virgin olive oil
  • fresh garlic
  • red pepper flakes
  • cherry tomatoes
  • kosher salt
  • ground black pepper
  • fresh oregano
  • dried thyme
  • fresh basil leaves

🗒 Instructions

Note: This is an overview of the instructions. The full instructions are in the recipe card below.

Collage with First four steps to making the Cherry Tomato Sauce.
  1. In a 10 or 11-inch large sauté pan or cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium-low heat.
  2. Stir occasionally until the garlic is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
  3. Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and sauté for about 1 minute.
  4. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, and thyme.
Collage of the 5th instruction to making the roasted cherry tomato sauce.
  1. Toss the tomatoes gently to coat with the olive oil and seasoning then raise the heat to medium. Simmer, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat to maintain a lively but not too vigorous simmer.
Collage instructions for making the pan-roasted cherry tomato sauce recipe the final steps.
  1. When the tomatoes reduce to a thick pulpy sauce, 15 to 20 minutes, sprinkle in the basil and stir to combine completely.
  2. Serve your roasted cherry tomato pasta sauce with a grated Parmesan Cheese. Delizioso!

It's now ready to serve over your favorite pasta!

🔪 Equipment

The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

  • knife - I like my ceramic knife that is as sharp as a razor. In fact we like it so much we take it with us when we travel.
  • cutting board
  • large sauté pan or cast iron skillet
  • wooden spoon for stirring
  • pasta pot

These items make cooking a lot easier but you don't have to have to them to make this squisito (delicious) sauce.

Close up or roasted cherry tomatoes over shell pasta in a white casserole.
Those shells are grabbing the sauce and cherry tomatoes. We love this sweet and savory tomato pasta sauce.

🥫Storage

You can keep the extra sauce in the refrigerator for a week and the extra may be frozen in freezer containers or freezer bags.

In the dead of winter, you'll really miss your cherry tomatoes and that burst of flavor. This is when you'll appreciate having had the foresight to make extra sauce and freezing it.

👩🏻‍🍳Tips

A trick to saving space in your freezer is to freeze the sauce in heavy duty freezer bags and lay them flat.

Make sure the air is out of the bag and then layer the bags on a baking tray and place in the freezer. Once the sauce is frozen, the bags are easy to stack.

Double and triple the sauce when you make it, believe me you'll thank me later.

The pasta we like to serve with this sauce is the shell type which will capture the juicy tomatoes in their nooks and crannies. So good and no tomato sauce on your lap.

Closeup of fork with a bit of shell pasta and the cherry tomato sauce.
We don't like to have sauce on your chin or lap. With this sauce you don't.

🤔 FAQ's

These are the questions that are the most frequently asked.

Do cherry tomatoes make a good sauce?

The sauce is delightful. So fresh and sweet the flavors burst in your mouth.

How do you make cherry tomato sauce?

All you need to do is put them in a large sauté pan and wait for the tomatoes to break down and release their liquid. A bit of olive oil, garlic, fresh herbs of your choice, salt, and pepper is all that's necessary tp make one of the best tomato sauces you've ever tasted.

Can you freeze cherry tomato sauce?

Yes. Once you cook the sauce and it cools, spoon it in to freezer containers or heavy duty freezer bags. The sauce will be good for at least 3 months.

Are cherry tomatoes as healthy as regular tomatoes?

Yes. Cherry tomatoes are miniature versions of traditional beefsteak tomatoes, but they are equally as nutritious. 

How can you tell a grape tomato vs. a cherry tomato

The most obvious is the shape. The grape tomato is longer and oval whereas the cherry tomato will be round like a globe.

Can I use Roma tomatoes to make a sauce?

Yes. Meaty red Romas make a wonderful sauce,  but it takes cooking them a long time in order for them to reach an optimum flavored sauce.

🍽 Serve with . . .

Don't limit this cherry tomato sauce to just pasta, it's tasty over

  • sausages
  • fish
  • pork chops
  • eggs
  • chicken
  • use it as a topping for pizza
  • baked potatoes
  • zucchini boats
  • eggplant

Cherry tomatoes are so handy to have around. You can make countless dishes with them. We've sautéed them with spinach.

And used them in the fresh lemon, rotini, and grape tomato recipe -- after all they're about as sweet as the grape tomatoes. We've nibbled on them like grapes and eaten them in salads.

One of the most obvious and colorful ways we've use them is on top of our Focaccia Pugliese.

Isn't it handy that you can make a quick and easy pasta sauce and use up two pounds of cherry tomatoes?

If you're craving something cozy, creamy, and ridiculously easy, you've found it in our Boursin Cheese Pasta recipe. You make this sauce with sweet grape tomatoes and Boursin cheese. The pasta dish comes together almost magically.

Close up of a fork holding shell pasta with the cherry tomato sauce.
Why we like to serve the sauce with shell pasta is because it holds on tight to the plump tomato and juice. No more red sauce accidents on our shirts and laps.

📝Recipe

If you love this recipe, pleas give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

📖 Recipe

Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce with Garlic in a large skillet.

Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce with Basil

Cherry Tomatoes make a quick and easy sauce full of zingy flavor, just toss in a skillet with garlic, olive oil and your choice of herbs and you're done.
4.81 from 21 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: pasta sauce
Cuisine: Italian
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 562kcal
Author: Marisa Franca @ All Our Way
As An Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried orecchiette { or your preferred pasta} cook until al dente
  • 3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 large cloves garlic minced
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 pounds cherry tomatoes rinsed and halved
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt; more to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon fresh oregano
  • 1 teaspoon thyme
  • 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves from about one small bunch very thinly sliced
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a 10- or 11-inch saute pan, heat the oil and garlic over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.
  • Sprinkle in the red pepper flakes and saute for about 1 minute.
  • Add the tomatoes, salt, and pepper, oregano and thyme. Toss gently to coat and then raise the heat to medium.
    Simmer, stirring occasionally and adjusting the heat to maintain a lively but not too vigorous simmer, until the tomatoes have been reduced to a thick, pulpy sauce, 15 to 20 minutes.
  • Sprinkle on the basil and stir to combine thoroughly.
  • Toss the pasta with three-quarters of the sauce and spoon the remaining sauce over each of the servings.
    If you like, sprinkle with cheese like a Parmesan, Romano or Pecorino -- whatever you like.

Notes

A trick to saving space in your freezer is to freeze the sauce in heavy duty freezer bags and lay them flat.
Make sure the air is out of the bag and then layer the bags on a baking tray and place in the freezer. Once the sauce is frozen, the bags are easy to stack.
Double and triple the sauce when you make it, believe me you'll thank me later.
The pasta we like to serve with this sauce is the shell type which will capture the juicy tomatoes in their nooks and crannies. So good and no tomato sauce on your lap.

Nutrition

Serving: 4g | Calories: 562kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 622mg | Potassium: 783mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1600IU | Vitamin C: 54.3mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 3.6mg

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    Originally published September 14, 2014. Updated with new content and photographs to improve reader experience on August 1, 20121.

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    I’m Marisa Franca, a home chef, food writer, and photographer who believes that you can make gourmet quality food at home with simple seasonal ingredients. I’m passionate about family, food, friends, everything Italian, and happy endings.

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