Cherry Tomato Pasta with Ricotta (Broiler Method)
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Cherry tomatoes have one major advantage over every other tomato – they’re reliably good year-round. Slide them under the broiler and within minutes they’re blistered, bursting and concentrated into something that tastes like the height of August — even in February. Toss this sauce with pasta, drop in spoonfuls of fresh ricotta, and dinner is ready in 15 minutes flat.
I usually slow-roast cherry tomatoes in the oven to draw out their sweetness over a couple of hours. But one night I’d forgotten to turn on my oven, so I dumped them into a cast-iron skillet and turned on the broiler instead. Less than fifteen minutes later they were charred, burst and into juicy puddles — a pan sauce that tasted like it had been cooking all day. The broiler has been my method ever since.
Before you start
- Cherry tomatoes: Look for round, thin-skinned cherry tomatoes — not grape tomatoes, which have tougher skins and less juice (more on that below). Multicolored varieties make a beautiful sauce and tend to have good flavor year-round, and if you have extras, they’re just as good in this tomato panzanella salad.
- Ricotta: Use whole-milk ricotta to adds creaminess without the weight of cream — I add big dollops over the pasta, so you get pockets of it in every bowl rather than a uniform sauce.
Why cherry tomatoes (not grape) make a better sauce
I call for cherry tomatoes specifically, not grape. Grape tomatoes were developed in the 1990s for commercial durability — thicker skins, denser flesh, less moisture — qualities that help them survive cross-country shipping but work against you when you want tomatoes to burst under a broiler. If all you can find are grape tomatoes, use them — just know they’ll be slightly less juicy and may need a splash of pasta water to loosen the sauce.
From pan to pasta bowl in 15 minutes
Dump about 2 pints of cherry tomatoes into a large skillet with some olive oil (the tomatoes don’t need to be peeled or sliced) Place the pan under the broiler and cook until the tomatoes brown and begin to burst. mash them with a wooden spoon (or use a potato masher) just until they break up into a chunky sauce. Toss the hot pasta straight into the pan with the sauce, then spoon ricotta over the top rather than stirring it in — it melts into creamy pockets as you eat rather than disappearing into the sauce.
Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce and Ricotta
Equipment
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 pound (450 g) cherry tomatoes, preferably mixed colors
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 12 ounces (340 g) spaghetti, bucatini, or linguine
- 2 teaspoons finely sliced garlic
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup (250 ml) whole milk ricotta cheese
- ½ cup (50 g) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
- ½ cup fresh basil leaves, or parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the broiler to high, with a rack positioned 6-inches from the heat source.
- Bring a large pot (6 quarts) of water to a boil and season with 2 tablespoons salt. Cook the pasta until al dente.
- Put 1 pound cherry tomatoes, ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt in a large (10 or 12-inch) ovenproof skillet. Place the pan under the broiler and cook until the tomatoes brown and begin to burst, shaking the pan once or twice so they cook evenly, 5-10 minutes depending on the power of your broiler
- Remove the pan from the broiler and stir in 2 teaspoons finely sliced garlic, ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper and about 10 twists of black pepper. Gently smoosh the tomatoes with the back of a spoon so that they release their juices.
- Drain the pasta and toss with sauce. Spoon 2 generous tablespoons of ricotta into each serving bowl and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Divide the hot pasta into the bowls and sprinkle with the basil or parsley.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- The sauce will keep up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
- Try these tomatoes spread on flatbread or pizza, on top of risotto or piled onto warm garlic bread for a delicious appetizer or snack.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
Professionally trained cook, cookbook author, and the person behind every recipe here. I cook the way I was trained: Start with good ingredients, understand why they work, and don’t apologize for the salt. These are the recipes I actually make, for the people I love. Read more about me here.
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Great way to use up fresh cherry tomatoes from our garden in fact I added extra and would add even more next time. The ricotta was very tasty in this dish and putting it in the dish before putting the pasta in worked out great to warm up the ricotta.
A lot to like about this recipe. With that said, if I make it again, I’ll save a cup of pasta water prior to draining the pasta, so I can loosen things up if need be (e.g., if there’s not much moisture left from the broiled tomatoes, which was the case for me). I’ll also start with less ricotta in each bowl. I found it a bit too heavy and gloppy.
Perfect weeknight dinner idea!