A rustic, creamy, thick and full of flavour Cherry Tomato Sauce, that's perfect for serving over pasta. It's made with only 6 ingredients and is easy enough for midweek, yet worthy of company too.
For the carb addicts amongst us who are always looking for something new and saucy to smother their pasta in, enter my Cherry Tomato Sauce. It's here for all of your pasta tossing and thwapping on top of everything needs.
And here's exactly what you need to know about it:
- creamy / tomatoey / herby / rich / rustic sauce vibes
- juicy, bursty cherry tomatoes throughout
- quick and easy
- super yum
And here's what else you need to know about this Cherry Tomato Sauce:
It's meal prep and freezer friendly
It clings to pasta in all the right ways!
It's also pretty good when dolloped on vegan meatloaf, burgers, grilled tofu, roasted potatoes, spread in a panini or sandwich, used in place of marinara in lasagna or pizza. You could even use it as the base in my Vegan Shakshuka.
So yes, what I'm trying to say is, you need this Cherry Tomato Sauce in your life. As it is. Exactly as written, in all of its rustic, chunky, thick and packed with flavour glory.
I see many situations where this delish sauce fits:
Got a big family? - Feed them all quickly and easily
Meal Prep - Make a massive batch and dip into it all week long. It keeps well in the fridge for 5 or 6 days and freezes perfectly.
Date Night - You, your significant other, this, spaghetti for a Lady and the Tramp type moment, a fresh, crisp salad and a good bottle of vino
Feeding the fussy kiddos? - Most of them like spaghetti and pasta sauce !
A treat yo'self night - You, piles of pasta, obscene amounts of vegan parm and a soppy movie?
How to make Cherry Tomato Sauce
SEE MY VIDEO FOR A VISUAL GUIDE. FOR INGREDIENTS & FULL INSTRUCTIONS PLEASE SEE THE RECIPE CARD AT THE END OF THIS POST
With so many tomato sauce recipes out there, here's the low down on how to make mine:
This is what you need:
And this is how it's done:
Sauté the onions and garlic then throw in the dried herbs, seasoning and tomatoes and let them burst and caramelize up a bit
Add tomato paste and stir it all up ... It will be super thick and gloopy ...
Then add some plant-milk. A nice creamy one is good. I like to use my cashew milk but store bought milk is fine too.
And stir it all up to make a lovely, creamy, thick sauce
Toss it through some freshly cooked pasta and you're done!
Cherry Tomato Sauce Success Tips
The combo of fresh tomatoes and tomato paste is what gives such great, concentrated flavour and creamy consistency. Don't be tempted to use regular canned tomatoes instead.
Whilst it's great when freshly made, the flavors in the sauce develop even more if you make it a day or two before you need it. Just make it and store it in a sealed container in the fridge.
My biggest tip though, is to really carb up and serve some of my No Knead Focaccia Bread on the side of your Cherry Tomato Sauce laden pasta. Just perfect for sopping up that sauce!
So there we have it. Here’s to you and me diving headfirst into Cherry Tomato Sauce doused pasta ...
For more tomato-based recipes, check out these great options:
And if you love this recipe, please do check out my cookbook, and subscribe to my email list for a fabulous FREE eCookbook featuring my top 10 recipes. Being on the list means you will be first to see my new recipes and you’ll be kept in the loop on all things new and exciting too!
Cherry Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (optional - sauté with a few tablespoons of water instead to make the recipe oil-free)
- 1 medium onion , chopped finely
- 4 cloves garlic , chopped very finely
- 2 teaspoons dried herbs , rosemary, herbs de Provence, thyme, oregano, basil, Italian seasoning all work really well (use what you like best. Any or a combination of them is fine).
- 1½ teaspoons fine salt , plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 heaping cups / 350 g halved cherry or grape tomatoes , or the same quantity of fresh larger tomatoes chopped into chunky pieces
- ⅓ cup / 5½ tablespoons tomato paste (tomato puree in the UK) - Don't use regular canned tomatoes
- 1 cup / 240 ml unsweetened milk of choice , I like to use a creamy milk like my cashew milk
INSTRUCTIONS
- Warm a tablespoon of olive oil (or water for oil-free) in a large sauté pan over a medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook, moving frequently until just starting to colour, then add the garlic. Cook for a minute longer.
- Add the tomatoes and keep moving everything around for about 4 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst a bit and are just starting to caramelize.
- Turn the heat down to medium low, and add the salt and pepper and herbs, then the tomato paste. Stir together well.
- Pour in the milk and stir well until a creamy sauce is formed. Keep it simmering over the heat for about 7 minutes, until the sauce reduces down and thickens up enough to coat the pasta well. If you leave it any longer and it thickens up too much, simply add another little bit of milk to thin it out.
NOTES
NUTRITION
Nutritional information is provided for convenience & as a courtesy only. The data is a computer generated estimate so should be used as a guide only.
Heidi says
If making to freeze should I leave out the dairy/non dairy till I am ready to use it?
A Virtual Vegan says
Plant milks tend to freeze well. I've frozen it made as it is and it was fine. Hope that helps!
Myrn says
I was surprised at how yummy this turned out. It seemed too simple to be so good. I used fresh basil and also used half milk & half heavy cream. This is a keeper!
A Virtual Vegan says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it and thanks so much for coming back to leave a review/rating!
Michael says
Any thoughts on how to safeRly can this sauce?
A Virtual Vegan says
I don't know much about canning but I'm pretty sure you can't can anything with milk or fats in it. I know this contains vegan milk and not dairy-milk, but vegan milk still contains fat and it goes off in the same way as regular milk. I would think that that makes the recipe unsuitable for canning.
Jude says
This is just awesome! We made it for breakfast, so good. It will be our new go to pasta sauce!
Thank You!
Helen says
We loved it - and it's so easy! Thanks
Ginny Felker says
Would you recommend using 2 tblsps if I am subbing for fresh rosemary? :)
A Virtual Vegan says
When I make this with fresh I just throw in a sprig about 4 or 5 inches long then pick it out when I serve. Saves having to measure!
Jana says
So amazing! It is now my go to sauce whenever I want red sauce. I've even substituted a can of tomato sauce when I didn't have paste & it still turned out amazing. You can't go wrong with this sauce!
A Virtual Vegan says
Thanks Jana. I'm really pleased you're enjoying it!
Evita says
So simple and so delicious!!! thank you for sharing this with those who want to simplify their lives :))
A Virtual Vegan says
Thank you! I'm really pleased you enjoyed it!
Anna says
Can water be substituted instead of milk?
Melanie McDonald says
You could use water, although you probably won't need quite as much. It won't end up as creamy or rich tasting though.
Lorna McLeod says
Another fun DELICIOUS recipe. We ate the focaccia bread with your butter and sprinkled it with granulated garlic for the BEST GARLIC BREAD EVER....Thank-you Mel for making my cooking such a delightful experience.
Melanie McDonald says
You've certainly been keeping busy in the kitchen! I'm thrilled you are enjoying my recipes so much. Thank you!
Nate says
Oh yum! This was totoally delicious. The whole family loved it.
Sue Williams says
Made this tonight, easy and really delicious, much nicer than the shop bought ones :)
Melanie McDonald says
I'm really pleased you enjoyed it Sue. Thank you!