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This colorful and extra creamy Cherry Tomato Pasta Alla Vodka is the perfect summer twist on a classic Italian pasta. Fresh pasta tossed in a spicy cherry tomato vodka sauce that’s creamy and so delicious! The secret to this one pot pasta…sweet summer cherry tomatoes, plenty of basil, and lots of cheese on top. The fresh tomatoes add a vibrant layer of flavor and richness to this simple pasta. Serve this family style dinner up any night of the week. It’s delicious and looks pretty on any table…not to mention that everyone LOVES a GOOD creamy vodka pasta.
Hey there, hoping everyone’s weekend was amazing and filled with fun, late summer activities, and some very delicious food. We had a pretty laid back weekend with family in town. I cooked a lot, did some online shopping damage, wrote a crazy long Nine Favorite Things post, and thought about how excited I am to be able to tell you about this pasta today.
This is the summer pasta alla vodka recipe we all really need. Its inspiration came from a very unexpected source – Asher. She asked me if I could make pasta alla vodka for dinner one night soon. And while at first I said no, alla vodka is such a fall/winter recipe, I started to think, “what if we made it summery?”.
And that’s just what I did, and here we are. Cherry tomato pasta alla vodka…inspired by Asher but loved and happily consumed by all.
The details are simple – first the tomatoes
For this alla vodka you’ll need lots of cherry tomatoes. Cherry tomatoes are my favorite, but especially in the summertime. They’re juicy, sweet, and always so full of flavor. It’s rare when you get a bad one.
Since I love their sweet flavor so much, I knew they’d be great to use in this pasta.
I’d recommend using mostly red cherry tomatoes for a nicely colored sauce, but colored tomatoes work well too.
To make the sauce
Just like a traditional vodka sauce, this sauce is really, really easy, and essentially just a one skillet recipe.
Start by cooking the shallots until soft, then toss in the tomatoes, lots of garlic, fresh oregano, and plenty of chili flakes to give it some kick. You’ll want to cook the tomatoes over a high heat until they burst. Once the tomatoes burst, let them cook until they almost start to stick to the bottom of the pan. This will intensive the flavors of the tomatoes.
Now that the tomatoes are saucy, I like to puree about half them in a blender to create a smooth sauce. You can skip this if you prefer, but I love the creaminess of a mostly pureed sauce.
At this point, it’s time to add the vodka and finish things up.
The final touches
While the sauce is cooking boil off the pasta. When the sauce is ready, toss the pasta with the sauce along with a few pats of butter, parmesan cheese, and basil.
Stir until creamy. Immediately serve the pasta hot off the stove with plenty of extra parmesan and basil on top.
A little lemon would be delicious too!
Asher was lucky enough to eat this hot off the stove and her honest verdict? “Delicious, really, really good, can I have another bowl?”.
If you follow along on Instagram, you know that Asher does not sugarcoat a thing. If she loves something, she LOVES it. And if she doesn’t love something, well, she’s going to tell you the cold hard truth.
Fortunately for all of us, this turned out so very good. Like roll your eyes back, go for that second bowl, and finish the pasta all in one sitting, GOOD. Dramatic, but true.
Every bowl of this pasta is creamy, just oh so slightly spicy, with a subtle touch of basil, and just the right amount of butter and cheese.
This would make a great dinner party meal with a side salad and some bread. I usually keep it simple with something like my 5 Ingredient Beer Bread or Salted Butter Parker House Rolls.
Looking for other cherry tomato recipes, try these:
Spinach Ricotta Gnocchi with Sage Butter and Cherry Tomatoes
Marinated Cherry Tomatoes with Burrata + Toast
Lastly, if you make this Cherry Tomato Pasta Alla Vodka, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Cherry Tomato Pasta Alla Vodka
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 532 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano
- 1-2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
- 6 cups cherry tomatoes, halved if large
- 1/2 cup vodka
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for serving
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet with sides over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and cook until the shallots begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, tomatoes, and chili flakes. Cook 8-10 minutes, until the tomatoes burst and begin to stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat. Blend about half the tomatoes in a blender until smooth, stir the tomato sauce back into the skillet.2. Place the skillet over medium heat. Stir in the vodka, cook 2 minutes, then stir in the cream. Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over low heat.3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Drain.4. Add the pasta, butter, parmesan, and basil to the sauce, tossing until the butter has melted. 5. Divide the pasta among plates and top with basil and cheese. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on August 9, 2021
Another delicious recipe and the perfect way to put a dent in all the cherry tomatoes on my counter! Thank you!!
Hey Nicole,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed and truly appreciate you giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
This came out great. Even my husband liked it and apparently he doesn’t like vodka sauce. I forgot Basil so I just put in a little dried and did a little chili powder instead of flakes, not really a spicy fan.
Thanks!
Hey Sara,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed and truly appreciate you giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
Amazing recipe! Followed it to the letter except my mom grows tomatoes so I did cherry tomatoes and her garden tomatoes together. Also I love Parmesan but also pecorino cheese so on the plate I combined. Loved it and it was a show stopper for my guests for sure.
Hey Steph,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed and truly appreciate you giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
This recipe was good and pretty easy. I added pancetta which gave it some nice flavor. I only used 1 tsp of the red pepper flakes and it was quite spicey, so be careful.
Hey Joanna,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed and truly appreciate you giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
This recipe is terrific! Easy to make and really good. Would be easy to add other veggies or protein such as chicken, sausage or tofu to add to the taste. Add a salad and some bread and it’s a great dinner. Thanks!
Hey David,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed and truly appreciate you giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
This was fantastic. I only used 1 tsp. of crushed red pepper and it had just the right amount of kick for us. I also only used 1/3 cup of Parmesan. I’m going to try less heavy cream next time to lighten it up a little. Added thinly sliced cooked mushroom/herb chicken sausage as well. Easy and delicious. The cherry tomatoes take it a notch above recipes using canned tomatoes.
Hey Serena,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed and truly appreciate you giving it a try. Have the best week! xTieghan
This recipe was fantastic! I made a pasta alla vodka recipe from another site a couple months ago and was really disappointed with it, but I’ve got an abundance of cherry tomatoes from the garden, and I’ve never had a HBH recipe fail before, so I decided to give this a try. I’m so glad I did! Thank you!
Hey Heather,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed!! ☀️xTieghan
This was super easy and came out great! I used my husbands fresh cherry tomatoes and basil from his garden. I skipped the red pepper as we are not spice fans but the flavor was still amazing! Thanks!
Hey Carla,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed!! ☀️xTieghan
It was delicious! Would this sauce freeze well?
Hey Mary,
Happy Sunday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed!! Yes, you can totally freeze the sauce. ☀️xTieghan
So, so delicious! What a glorious and easy way to use the garden goodness!
Hey Lorelei,
Awesome! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
Delicious! As other comments mentioned, it was definitely on the spicy side … even after I halved the crushed red pepper. I liked the heat, but my son did not. Will definitely be adding this into our rotation!
Hey Brittany,
Awesome! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Have the best weekend:) xTieghan
A little confused by the tomatoes and how much to use. Are you counting 6 cups by weight (therefore 48 oz) or by literally using a measuring cup? Thank you!
Hey Jocelyn,
I am using a measuring cup, hence the 6 cups:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Amazing! Easy family dinner!
Hey Eva,
Happy Friday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
So….I took my family to Rome and we had the most amazing cooking class. This pasta sauce is so similar to the one we made there – beginning with the cherry tomatoes simmering in the pan. This dish is DELICIOUS!! And rivals the one from Italy. We are all thanking you right now. I will make it again and again and pass it down to my boys.
Hey there,
Awesome!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
I blended all of the tomatoes, spices, and herbs together in the blender. I thought it would make the sauce stick to the noodles a little more. I halved the red pepper – I have a baby mouth 🙂
I used the Little Hat pasta- delish!
Hey Angela,
Awesome!! I am so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thank you so much for giving it a try! xTieghan