Burst Cherry Tomato Pasta

This simple vegan burst cherry tomato pasta is a summer weeknight dinner hero. We use orecchiette pasta, fresh basil and parsley, vegan parmesan and an easy white wine garlic sauce to pack in flavor for a delicious meal ready in less than 30 minutes.

Why we love this recipe

• Easy, delicious sauce with minimal effort: cherry tomatoes are sautéed until they burst, creating the perfect jammy sauce to coat the pasta.
• Versatile: change up this recipe with different fresh herbs, different varieties of pasta and even different add-ins, like zucchini, corn and/or eggplant.
• Vegan & gluten free adaptable: we use orecchiette pasta in this recipe, which can be hard to find gluten free, but you can sub with any GF pasta of choice. This recipe is also completely dairy free, made with vegan cheese and butter substitutes.
• Weeknight friendly: only 30 minutes stand between you and this delicious burst cherry tomato pasta!

Ingredients

Here are the key ingredients you'll need to make this vegan burst cherry tomato pasta:

Ingredient Notes

• Tomatoes: we used multicolor cherry tomatoes in this recipe, but all one variety is perfectly fine, too! I love the slightly different flavor profiles of each variety – the red ones tend to be more acidic, while the orange and yellows are on the sweeter side.
• Pasta: we love how well this sauce coats orecchiette pasta, but you can sub with any variety of choice.
• White wine: opt for a dry white wine, like Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc.
• Shallots: you can sub with yellow onion, but note that most medium-sized onions are about 1 ½ cups diced, so you'll want to cut back a bit on the amount.
• Vegan cheese: you can use any variety you like in this recipe. We personally love using Follow Your Heart for parmesan and VioLife for shredded mozzarella.
• Herbs: basil and parsley pair so wonderfully with acidic, sweet cherry tomatoes, but you can also experiment with different herbs like tarragon, thyme, oregano and more.

Step-by-step instructions

Cook orecchiette pasta in salted water according to package directions. 

Meanwhile, sauté shallots and garlic in olive oil over medium heat for 3-5 minutes. When softened, add butter and white wine and let reduce for a minute or two.

Add tomatoes and sauté until softened and blistered, stirring often, about 8-10 minutes.

Add herbs and cheese and stir well until cheese is melted.

Add drained pasta and toss well to coat in sauce. Top with more cheese, basil and red pepper flakes. 

Expert Tips and FAQs

• Use a wooden spoon to puncture any stubborn tomatoes: most of the tomatoes will burst and release their juice as they cook in the pan, but some are a bit more stubborn than others. Use the back of a spoon to gently press down on the tomatoes – just be careful as they tend to splatter!
• Add-ins: if you want to load up this vegan burst cherry tomato pasta with more vegetables, here are a few of our favorite additions:
  • Greens (kale, spinach, chard)
  • Broccolini
  • Zucchini or yellow squash
  • Eggplant
  • Corn
  • Mushrooms
  • Sun dried tomatoes
• Don't let the sauce reduce for too long/at too high heat: if the sauce reduces too much, there won't be enough to coat the pasta. Let the alcohol cook out of the wine for a minute or two, but don't feel the need to fully reduce (it will continue reducing as the tomatoes cook).

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