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Simple Roasted Sungold Cherry Tomato Pasta – a creamy, summery tomato pasta that’s full of fresh flavor and just the right amount of cozy. Sweet, roasted Sungold cherry tomatoes are blended with shallots, garlic, chile peppers, goat cheese, and Parmesan to create a silky, vibrant sauce. Tossed with pasta and finished with crispy prosciutto and fresh basil, it’s the perfect mix of comforting and bright. Simple, delicious summer food you’ll be making on repeat.
Right now, this is hands-down one of my favorite pasta recipes. And I’ve made a lot of pasta! But this one checks all the boxes—creamy, flavorful, seasonal, and so easy to pull together. It’s everything I want in a summer dinner.
The inspiration came the moment I spotted sweet Sungold cherry tomatoes at our local grocery store. I wait all year for these—they’re like nature’s candy, so bright and full of flavor.
I knew I wanted to let them shine. A salad would have been fine, but a creamy tomato pasta? That just felt right. If you can’t find Sungolds, no worries—any ripe cherry tomato will work and still taste amazing.
What Are Sungold Cherry Tomatoes?
Sungold cherry tomatoes are some of the sweetest, juiciest, and most beautiful tomatoes you’ll find. Their vibrant orange-yellow color makes any dish pop, and their flavor is almost tropical—bright, tangy, and naturally sweet. I get excited every time I spot them in the store or farmers market!
These little tomatoes add a burst of sweetness to anything you toss them into—whether it’s a creamy pasta like this one, a fresh summer salad, or a simple caprese with burrata (a personal favorite combo!).
Fun fact: Sungolds tend to stay firmer longer than other cherry tomato varieties, and once they start producing fruit, they’re ready to harvest twice a week. Perfect for gardeners and tomato lovers alike!
Here are the details
Ingredients
- salted butter
- Sungold cherry tomatoes – or use whatever variety you have access to
- shallots
- garlic
- fresh thyme
- crushed Calabrian chile peppers – or use chili flakes
- prosciutto – omit if vegetarian
- short cut pasta – use pennoni
- creamy goat cheese – ricotta or a creamy cheese are nice too
- parmesan cheese
- fresh basil
Special Tools
For this recipe, a handheld immersion blender will come in handy, but you can also use a blender or food processor. Additionally, you’ll need a Dutch oven or braiser for roasting and mixing the pasta. And a large pot for boiling the pasta.
Steps
Step 1: Roast the Tomatoes
Start by roasting the tomatoes. Add them to a large, oven-safe Dutch oven or braiser. Toss in the butter, shallots, garlic, thyme, and crushed Calabrian chile peppers.
Then, lay the prosciutto slices over the tomato mixture. As everything roasts, the tomatoes burst, the garlic caramelizes, and the prosciutto becomes crisp and salty—so good.
If you don’t eat meat, feel free to skip the prosciutto. The pasta will still be incredibly flavorful and satisfying.
Step 2: Purée the Tomatoes
Once the tomatoes are roasted, carefully remove the crispy prosciutto and set it aside for topping the pasta later.
Use an immersion blender to blend the tomato mixture right in the pot until smooth and creamy. If you don’t have an immersion blender, transfer the mixture to a regular blender and purée until silky.
Step 3: Boil the Pasta
While the sauce is resting, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your pasta according to package directions. Before draining, make sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water—you’ll need it for the sauce.
Lately, I’ve been loving Pennoni pasta—it’s like a larger version of penne with ridged, angled ends that hold onto sauce beautifully. But use whatever pasta you love!
Step 4: Toss the Pasta
Add the hot, freshly drained pasta to the creamy tomato sauce. Stir in the goat cheese, Parmesan, fresh basil, and a splash of the reserved pasta water.
Gently toss until the cheese is melted and the sauce coats every bite. The fresh basil will be super fragrant once it hits the warm pasta—so summery and fresh!
Step 5: Finish and Serve
If needed, thin the sauce with a little more pasta water to reach your desired consistency.
Scoop the pasta into bowls and top with the crispy prosciutto, extra Parmesan, and a few more basil leaves. Serve right away and enjoy every cozy, creamy bite.
Add Protein and Greens
For a heartier meal, try serving this with simple grilled chicken—just toss it with Italian seasoning and olive oil before grilling. It pairs perfectly with the creamy tomato sauce.
Add a side salad with fresh greens, and you’ve got the ideal summer dinner. Easy enough for a weeknight, but special enough to serve when entertaining friends on a Friday or Saturday night.
Looking for more summer recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Skillet Burst Cherry Tomato Summer Pasta with Lemony Breadcrumbs
One Pot Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Chicken Pasta
Pesto Chicken Saltimbocca with Burst Tomatoes and Burrata
Detroit Style Tomato Herb Pepperoni Pizza
Cherry Tomato Pasta Alla Vodka
Lastly, if you make this Simple Roasted Sungold Cherry Tomato Pasta, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love hearing from you 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!
Simple Roasted Sungold Cherry Tomato Pasta
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 582 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cups sungold or cherry tomatoes
- 2 shallots, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 – 3 tablespoons crushed Calabrian chile peppers in oil
- salt and black pepper
- 8 slices prosciutto
- 1 pound long or short cut pasta (I love pennoni)
- 4 ounces goat cheese (ricotta or cream cheese
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup fresh basil
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.2. In an oven-safe pot or large roasting pan, toss together the butter, tomatoes, shallots, garlic, thyme, Calabrian peppers, salt, and pepper. Arrange the prosciutto on top of the tomatoes. Bake 15-20 minutes, until the prosciutto is crispy.3. Pull the prosciutto off the tomatoes and set aside. 4. Using an immersion blender, puree the tomatoes into a creamy sauce, or use a blender. 5. Cook the pasta according to package directions until it is al dente. Just before draining, remove 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain.6. Add the pasta, goat cheese, parmesan cheese, basil, and 1/2 cup pasta cooking water to the tomato sauce, stirring until smooth. If needed, thin the sauce with a little of the reserved pasta cooking water.7. Divide the pasta between plates. Top with parmesan, prosciutto, and fresh basil. EAT and ENJOY.
This post was originally published on July 7, 2025
Fabulous combination of flavors! And a great use of fresh tomatoes & basil from the garden.
Hi Gayle! Thank you so much! I bet this recipe was even better with those fresh veggies and herbs from your garden! Have a lovely day! 🙂 xT
Basically a great recipe. Easy, relatively quick and tasty. It used up a goodly amount of my plethora of cherry tomatoes including some of my partially “sun dried” older ones deliciously. I used ricotta because I had an open container I needed to use. But feel clarifications are needed to recommend to others:
1) How much prosciutto? I thought it was 5 slices. I bought it at a local Italian Market and they naturally wanted a weight which would have helped. I guessed at the thickness. Thankfully I didn’t get 8. On top of my 9″ diameter sauce pot I had to layer them. The top was crispy and delicious but the middle were not as crispy and of course the bottom one a little soggy. I was thinking when I read the recipe that it was a single layer.
2) In my sauce pan (sloped sides) the sauce was not that deep (and yet I had to layer the prosciutto) so I had to hold the pain 45 degrees to adequately submerge the immersion blender. If I had used a roasting pan the prosciutto would have been a single layer perhaps but the sauce would have been way to shallow for the immersion blender.
3) The directions have measurements for the parmesan cheese and basil and say to add to the sauce after blending. But then later it says to put on top of the pasta. Should the amount in the directions be divided? Or should more be prepared for on top.
4) Least troublesome but a common issue with shallots and garlic cloves. What size shallot? Some are about 1 1/2 ” and some are 5″ long. I went for the larger ones since they were stewing and I love shallots.
Thanks for your reply!
So glad you loved this one! For the prosciutto, it’s about 4–6 thin slices, just enough for a single layer. A smaller Dutch oven or pot works best for blending and for crisping the prosciutto. The Parmesan and basil listed are meant for the sauce, but I always like to add extra on top too. And for the shallots, medium ones work great, but it’s flexible. Thanks for trying it! xT
This is a new favorite that’s going into the regular rotation! We’re growing sungold cherry tomatoes for the first time; I had no idea how to use them in recipes until I found this one. I’ll check out the rest of your recipes – glad to find this site. Thank you!
Hi Nellie! I’m so glad you found the recipe and enjoyed it! Sungold tomatoes are sooo yummy and they work perfectly here! Excited for you to try more recipes, and I hope they inspire lots of new ways to use your garden tomatoes! Thanks for the kind comment! 🙂 xT
This was SO good! I made it without the peppers to make it kid friendly and used lowfat cottage cheese in place of the goat cheese. I blended the cottage cheese with the rest of it and it turned out so creamy. Will definitely make again.
Hi Julie! Thank you SO much for giving the recipe a try! Also love the idea of using cottage cheese, I bet it was delish! xT
Wow!! This was incredible and literally bursting with flavor. I used fresh cherry tomatoes from my garden. Layering the prosciutto on top as the tomatoes baked infused the sauce with the most wonderful depth (genius!), and the fresh thyme added brightness. I wouldn’t skip either! I halved the goat cheese but otherwise made as written and this will be on repeat. I could drink this sauce- lol!
Hi Erin! So happy you loved it! Using garden fresh cherry tomatoes must have made it even more amazing, and I totally agree, the prosciutto and thyme really take the flavor to the next level! Love that it’s going on repeat for you! xT
My parents have a garden and they were gracious enough to give me a basket full of sweet sungold cherry tomatoes. In my opinion, there are only 2 ways to eat them: snacking on them by themselves, or IN THIS PASTA. Holy cow, this is absolutely delicious. It’s one of those dishes that has you licking your plate clean and sad once it’s gone. We like it spicy so we used a good amount of the Calabrian chili. Red cherry tomatoes would be fab too. This also makes incredible leftovers as it reheats very well with staying incredibly creamy. Tieghan, you my friend, are the real deal. This is a keeper.
HI Alyssa! Wow, what a beautiful comment, thank you so much for sharing this! That garden sounds absolutely amazing, and I’m so glad you got to put those yummy sungolds to use in this pasta! I completely agree, it’s one of those dishes you wish would never end! Love that you added extra Calabrian chili for some heat too, so yummy! And thank you for your incredibly kind words, that means the world. So happy this one’s a keeper for you! xT
my comment for the first time, i love the fact that you include different dairy options because some people love ricotta and others love goat cheese so it’s nice to be given different ideas, especially considering the fact that your recipes are free to the public and it’s a blessing to have all your recommendations, anyone that is upset about having different dairy options should come up with their own recipe website. thank you, can’t wait to try!!
Thank you so much for your thoughtful comment! It really means a lot to hear that you appreciate the flexibility, everyone’s tastes are so different, so offering options just makes cooking more fun and approachable. So glad you’re enjoying the recipes, and I hope you love this one too! xT
This was divine!! I skipped the meat and goat cheese and made meatballs instead. It. Was. Awesome!! I will make this every summer!!!!!
Thank you SO much Brooke! I’m so so glad you’re loving this pasta, I bet the meatballs were a great addition too! 🙂 xT
Soooo dang delicious! Will never buy store bought sauce every again. All 3 kids loved it.
Thanks so much Melissa! So glad you loved this pasta! 🙂 xT
I made this earlier this week and my husband and I both LOVED it! I didn’t have the peppers but just added some chili oil and red pepper flakes. Tastes like it came from a restaurant!
Wow thank you so much Jennifer! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! Thank you for trying out this pasta and taking the time to leave a kind comment! 🙂 xT
So delicious. My 8yr old who doesn’t like anything loved it! I used borsin cheese and gf pasta malfada.
Thank you so much Jill! And even better to know it was a hit with your little one too! 🙂 Have a great week! 🙂 xT
This recipe is phenomenal. My husband felt it was Restaurant Quality and I agree. Thank you so so much for sharing this recipe. As a note, I could not find the Calabrian crushed peppers in oil so I substituted roasted red peppers and oil and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Let me know if there’s a better substitution.
Hey Martha! Thank you SO much for trying out the recipe! I am so glad you loved this pasta! Perfect summer recipe, I’m so glad you enjoyed! 🙂 xT
I have asked the same question twice now and the comment still hasn’t been approved. I understand moderation but it is really frustrating when basic comments aren’t approved days later.
Hi Janine! What was your comment? Would love to help out with whatever your question is! Have a great day! 🙂 xT
My comment for the 5th time: goat cheese, ricotta & cream cheese have very different flavor profiles. Has the recipe been tested with all 3 options?
Hi Janine!Yes! I tested them all out. Goat cheese is my personal favorite, but feel free to use what you love the most. Hope you enjoy the dish! Thank you and have a great weekend! xT
Can the sauce be made earlier in the day or even the day before?
Hey Pat! Yes, you can absolutely make the sauce the day before! Hope you love this recipe! 🙂 xT
I’m having a hard time finding sungold tomatoes…are they normally at most grocery stores this time of year? And worst case, can I use regular cherry tomatoes if I can’t find them?
H Sara! Yes, you can absolutely use regular cherry tomatoes in this recipe! I would maybe check out your local farmer’s market for sungold tomatoes! 🙂 xT
4 ounces goat cheese (ricotta or cream cheese) – these all have different flavor profiles & textures, has the recipe been tested with all 3 subs?
Hey Tressa, Yes! I tested them all out. Goat cheese is my personal favorite, but feel free to use what you love the most. Hope you enjoy the dish! Thank you and have a great weekend! xT