spicy cherry tomato and garlic pasta

what to cook with all your tiny tomatoes!!!

Caroline Chambers and Molly from What To Cook

Aug 23, 2025

∙ Paid

Tomatoes are in peak season right now, and today’s 30-minute recipe from Notorious Foodie takes full advantage of that, in the most delicious way.

This cherry tomato and garlic pasta and Caro’s tiny tomato pasta could be sisters. The recipes share some similarities, but also have nuanced differences that illustrate how subtle changes to cooking method impact the flavor of a dish.

In today’s recipe, you’re going to sauté basil stems along with minced shallot and sliced garlic to infuse fresh herbal notes in the fresh tomato sauce. We’re also pulling in white wine and a good bit of red pepper flakes for tons of flavor and heat. Plus, NF teaches us a fun, fancy way to plate spaghetti noodles using tongs and a ladle! This pasta is absolutely delightful, and we know you’re going to love it.

From Notorious Foodie: There’s nothing better than a home-cooked meal that’s quick, fresh, and incredibly satisfying. Don’t get me wrong, I love a comforting slow braise, too, but on nights where I just can’t be bothered, there are a few simple dishes I always go back to.

For me, pasta ticks all the right boxes — you can whip up something truly delicious with just a few simple ingredients and proper technique. My spicy cherry tomato and garlic pasta may sound basic, but follow these steps and your dish will turn out rich, refined, and beautifully balanced. It’s full of goodness and is spicy, sweet, and addictive.

Good cooking doesn’t need to be difficult, and this is a great example of that. It’s low-effort, maximum-reward — and that’s exactly the vibe on those can't-be-bothered evenings. Save it, cook it, thank me later.

From Notorious Foodie: Here are the ingredients that make this sauce so special:

Cherry tomatoes: They are naturally brighter and much sweeter than regular tomatoes, so they work incredibly well for this sauce. I like to use multi-colored cherry tomatoes for this, but if you can’t find them, regular red ones will do.
Garlic and chilli flakes/red pepper flakes: Fresh garlic is essential, but you can use anywhere from 3 to 6 cloves of it based on how much spice you want. Adjust the red pepper flakes spice level to your liking as well — cooking is all about personal preference. If you don’t want your sauce to be spicy (it will be as written), no problem — see the “feeding kids” note beneath the recipe for how to make this a mild sauce instead.
Wine for acidity: The white wine brings with it lots of flavor and complexity, making this dish even more refined — a sauvignon blanc would work well here. That said, feel free to swap with water if you want/need.
Pasta water: We are going to ladle some starchy pasta cooking water into the sauce to help create a beautifully emulsified, silky tomato sauce.

Notorious Foodie, thank you for sharing this gorgeous summer recipe with WTC! For more from NF, subscribe to his newsletter or follow him on Instagram or TikTok. In case you missed it, click here to read our Q&A with him, in which he shares his favorite kitchen tools, pantry staples, and more.

If you love this, you’ll also love tiny tomato pasta! Another sister to both is sunshine pasta — a sauce we create by letting juicy summer tomatoes marinate to perfection in the bright summer sun.