Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce
Packed with basil and garlic, this simple fresh cherry tomato sauce is the PERFECT summer recipe. Super easy to make, toss it with pasta for a flavorful weeknight meal! Dairy free, gluten free and vegan.
Cherry tomato sauce = a fantastic way to put all those tomatoes from your garden to good use!
Not that I have a garden with tomatoes. Or anything for that matter. So maybe I should say that this sauce is perfect for putting all the produce you buy from the store or farmer’s market to good use.
You know, just because you want to make it.
And make it you should. Super simple. Under 30 minutes. And with some angel hair pasta? Perfection.
Added bonus? You don’t even have to slice the tomatoes. They just get dumped whole into the skillet.
Anywho, I’ve actually been making this sauce for about two years now (or something similar … I’ve always employed that whole ehhh let’s add a pinch of this, a dash of that – very a la my grandma if you will). But I finally wrote it down.
Because it’s a sort of lazy sauce. And doesn’t really take much effort. And during the summer heat, I think we can all use more lazy recipe ideas. Yes? Yes.
Tips & Tricks For This Cherry Tomato Sauce
- Please don’t be scared of the wine in the recipe. The sauce doesn’t taste at all wine-y once cooked. It just adds awesome flavor. But, you can always use extra broth in its place. But then you don’t get to drink the wine too – and that’s no fun!
- Please also be careful when you smash the tomatoes with a fork or wooden spoon. Depending on how firm the tomatoes were to begin with, the juices can definitely “explode” when smashing. So be prepared.
- For our taste, we think this amount of sauce works perfectly when tossed with 8 ounces of pasta. I like to add the drained pasta right into the skillet and then toss to combine. Sometimes I’ll add in a touch of reserved pasta water, but usually not.
- Not in the mood for pasta? The sauce is also excellent spooned over grilled chicken.
Additional Cherry Tomato Recipes You Might Enjoy:
- Fresh Cherry Tomato Salsa
- Roasted Cherry Tomato Soup
- Roasted Three Bean Salad with Tomatoes
- Fresh Corn and Tomato Open-Faced Sandwich
Did you make this recipe? Rate and review it down below! I’d love to hear from you.
Fresh Cherry Tomato Sauce
Packed with basil and garlic, this simple fresh cherry tomato sauce is the PERFECT summer recipe. Super easy to make, toss it with pasta for a flavorful weeknight meal! Dairy free, gluten free and vegan.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium shallots, minced
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
- 2 pints cherry tomatoes
- ¼ cup dry white wine*
- ½ cup low sodium vegetable broth
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or more to taste
- pinch of sugar
- ⅓ cup packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Set a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add in the olive oil. When hot, add in the shallots, garlic and thyme. Cook for about 1 minute, until the shallots have started to soften.
- Add in the tomatoes. Continue to cook for about 7 to 9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes start to char and burst.
- Pour in the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape any bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add in the broth, salt, red pepper flakes and sugar. Use the back of a wooden spoon (or a large fork) to smash the tomatoes (be careful! the juices explode a bit!), then continue to cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, until reduced to your liking.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh basil. Season with additional salt and red pepper flakes to taste.
- Serve with pasta or however you would like.
Notes
*To keep this dairy free / vegan - be sure to use a vegan friendly wine (or just use additional broth instead).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 106Total Fat: 5gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 162mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 2g
Nutrition data shown is an estimate provided by an online calculator and is for informational purposes only. It should not be considered a substitute for a medical professional’s advice.
Love how easy this recipe is, and cherry tomatoes I always have at home. Scared of wine? Oh no!! LOL
Oh my gosh I’ve done this once before and it was SO worth it!! I’m kind of addicted to the taste of cooked down cherry tomatoes. When I was really sick, my hubby made that with some lemon pasta for me every day (I was too spoilt! haha) so I just know how amazing this must be!!
I’m sorry about your lack of garden this year,, but hey — there’s always the farmer’s market! I will have cherry tomatoes coming out of my ears soon if all goes well so this sauce will be happening. And the wine is an awesome addition! Have a great weekend, Ashley!
Oh it is definitely not fun without drinking the wine! Seriously though, I love cooking with wine – it adds so much flavor. This tomatoe sauce looks so fresh and healthy. I really love the “tips & tricks” section that you have added to your blog! They are so helpful. Have a great weekend Ashley.
haha right?? Thanks Kristen! And thank you for the feedback too! I’m so glad that section is helpful! Happy weekend!
This looks delicious! So fresh! Too bad my boyfriend doesn’t like tomatoes. Or actually… more for me!!
Homemade sauce is the perfect way to use up fresh tomatoes. I love that it comes together in only 30 minutes too! So simple and a double yes to lazy recipes. Looks SO delicious!
We planted too many cherry tomato plants this year. We are definitely going to have to try this recipe! I love simple sauces like this!
I wish I had that problem! Me and my black thumb over here! haha Thanks Jessica!
Cherry tomatoes are always a hit at my place. And I am sure this sauce would make a nice place too — my family would just LOVE it. This is such a wonderful way of using cherry tomatoes! YUMMY!
Pretty soon we will be swimming in cherry tomatoes so I’m always excited to try new recipes! I usually stick with my creamy cherry tomato sauce recipe that I roast the cherries in the oven and then food process them, but I like your “keeping them fresh” idea here. I can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Pamela!
There’s nothing wrong with a lazy sauce, especially when it’s packed full of flavor! This is just smart cooking! 🙂
Oh gosh. I just know I’d be putting this gorgeous sauce over ALL the summer things! BRAINSTORM: how amazing would this sauce be with some fresh mozzarella cheese on top of my noodles?? Yup, I think I’ve found dinner for tonight. 😉
Ummm yes. That sounds perfect!
You had me at cherry tomatoes! But if you hadn’t, you would have definitely had me at 30 minutes! This recipe is a huge winner!
Fresh tomato sauce is one of my favorite things in the world! I literally could just eat a bowl of fresh sauce… but dipping bread in it is even better. I usually make it with vine ripe tomatoes though, so I must try it with cherry tomatoes!
PS – That pic of the sauce with the pasta? GORGEOUS! 🙂
haha I so agree! Dipping bread in it is the best! And thank you!!
This fresh tomato sauce is so light and delicious- perfect for summer and so easy to whip up. I love it!
That sauce looks soooooo amazing! So fresh, so clean, so wine-eriffic! I could seriously just spoon-feed it to myself…but that pile o’ pasta? UGH serious perfection! Definitely an awesome go-to for any weeknight dining!
I need to start using wine-eriffic! lol I like it! Thanks Julia!
I don’t have a garden either, girlfriend… I wish we did though!. We have the land, but we also have deer… and the deer will eat EVERYTHING. So the farmers markets it is for me. Guess I’m going to have to pick up a few baskets of tomatoes and TRY not to eat them all, because I NEED this sauce! Nothing beats a fresh, homemade tomato sauce and this one looks DEEEE-lish!! I could eat this sauce with all the things. Or just with a spoon, because GIMME! 😉 Cheers, girl!
Deer will definitely do that! haha Thanks lady!
YUM! This cherry tomato sauce looks delish! So every year I plant a little garden – I have an herb garden and then a little raised vegetable garden that I pack with vegetable plants – and my tomatoes go nuts and grow grow grow, so I’m always looking for recipes to use them in. Totally going to make this as soon as the tomatoes are ripe!
So jealous! We could never get tomatoes to grow for us! I need to give them another go!
What a great recipe and a great way to use up so many cherry tomatoes. I have a similar one but it doesn’t use wine so next time I am adding wine to try it out! Any excuse to crack a bottle open 😀
Exactly! 😉
It took me awhile to warm up to cherry tomatoes, but now I love ’em and I love this sauce! Yes! Yes – I can definitely use more lazy recipe ideas like this – so please keep ’em coming!
I’m so with you on the simple pasta sauces! I love how you don’t even need to slice the tomatoes— we all know how much time that takes 😉 Can’t wait to try!
Oh, there’s nothing like some fresh cherry tomatoes with garlic, white wine, and herbs like this! Looks so darn delicious! I love that you don’t even slice the tomatoes! With the busy summer, the fewer steps to dinner, the better!
So fresh and summery! I love it, Ashley.
Homemade sauce <3 It's a sin to ever buy jarred sauce! The smell alone of homemade just gets me, let alone the taste!
As much as I love blended up pasta sauces, I much prefer keeping them chunky like this. The tomatoes just look so good in them.
This is such a great idea, Ashley! I’ve never thought to make a chunkier sauce like this from cherry tomatoes. I eat them like popcorn, I just love them so much, so this sauce is perfect for me! And I love that it’s ready in less than 30 minutes. Definitely a perfect summer meal!
Same here! They are so good during summer! Thanks Gayle!
Oh man! I just love simple pastas – it’s just the way it should be! This looks really wonderful!