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Crockpot Brown Butter Tomato and Ricotta Pasta. A summery tomato pasta that’s full of fresh heirloom tomatoes and creamy ricotta cheese. Slow-cooked heirloom and cherry tomatoes are cooked with garlic, thyme, Italian spices, parmesan rinds, and chile peppers to create an effortless, chunky marinara sauce. Just before the sauce is finished, spicy Italian chicken is added with garlic brown butter. Toss the sauce with pasta and grated parmesan cheese, then serve up each bowl with whipped ricotta and fresh basil. It’s the perfect mix of comforting and bright.
I’m the girl who walks into Whole Foods and heads straight to the produce section, always looking (and hoping) for something pretty to cook with. When the store finally stocks the heirloom tomatoes, the figs, the peaches—I buy more than I need and definitely more than I have plans for.
This is me all summer long. I always end up with more tomatoes than I know what to do with. When they sit on the counter and start to become a little too soft, they always leave me with inspiration.
Sometimes I roast them and blend them into sauce. Sometimes I make pizza. But other times… pasta comes to mind.
Today’s pasta is effortless. No peeling, no chopping, no cooking ahead—just the right amount of effort.
All the tomatoes go into the crockpot. I left mine whole and didn’t even bother taking the stems off—I knew they’d fall off easily after cooking!
Once the tomatoes have cooked down, I crush them with a spoon and leave the sauce chunky. The only extra steps are cooking the pasta and browning the butter—both take just a few quick minutes.
Simple and delicious. Great for back-to-school season and especially perfect as we head into fall!
The Details
Ingredients
- heirloom or regular tomatoes
- cherry tomatoes
- garlic
- fresh thyme
- Italian seasoning
- parmesan
- crushed Calabrian chile peppers – or use chili flakes
- spicy Italian chicken sausage – omit if vegetarian
- fresh basil
- short cut pasta – use pennoni
- salted butter
- rosemary
- ricotta cheese – whip this to make it even creamier!
Special Tools
For this recipe, you will need a crockpot.
Steps
Step 1: Slow cook the sauce
In the crockpot, add the tomatoes, garlic, thyme, seasonings, parmesan rinds, and crushed Calabrian chile peppers—or use chili flakes if that’s what you have.
Cook the sauce on low or high, depending on how much time you have.
Step 2: Add the meat
Use a wooden spoon to break down the tomatoes right in the crockpot—or, if you prefer a smoother sauce, blend it up (just be sure to remove the stems from the tomatoes and the parmesan rind first). I always leave my sauce chunky and skip the blender.
After you break the tomatoes down, remove any stems left in the sauce.
Next, crumble the meat into the sauce and let it cook on high for another hour.
Step 3: Brown the butter
In a small skillet, melt the salted butter until it turns golden brown and smells nutty and rich. Pull it off the heat, then toss in the garlic and rosemary. Let the garlic sizzle in the butter for a minute or two.
Stir the brown butter into the sauce, saving a spoonful for serving if you’d like.
Step 4: Boil the pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook your pasta according to the package directions.
Lately, I’ve been loving Pennoni pasta—it’s like a larger, ridged penne with angled ends that hold onto sauce beautifully. But really, use whatever pasta you love most.
Step 5: Toss the pasta
Add the hot, freshly drained pasta right into the sauce. Stir in the Parmesan and lots of fresh basil.
Serve
Spoon the pasta into bowls and top with whipped ricotta, extra basil, and a drizzle of the reserved brown butter. Stir the ricotta into the sauce and enjoy every creamy, cozy bite.
Add greens
Serve this with a simple side salad for a complete meal. Easy enough for a weeknight, but special enough to serve friends on a Friday or Saturday night as we start to ease into fall.
Looking for more summer recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Simple Roasted Sungold Cherry Tomato Pasta
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 Crockpot Brown Butter Tomato and Ricotta 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!
Crockpot Brown Butter Tomato and Ricotta Pasta
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 549 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6 heirloom or regular tomatoes, halve and stems removed
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed or chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1-2 parmesan rinds
- sea salt and black pepper
- 1 - 3 tablespoons Calabrian chile peppers in oil, or chili flakes
- 1 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage (optional)
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves
- 1 pound long or short cut pasta (I love pennoni)
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
- 6 ounces ricotta cheese (I like it whipped)
Instructions
- 1. In the bowl of your crockpot, combine the tomatoes, 4 garlic cloves, thyme, Italian seasoning, parmesan rind, and 1 cup water. Season with salt, pepper, and chilies. Cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours.2. Crank the heat on the crockpot to HIGH. Crush the tomatoes using the back of a wooden spoon or an immersion blender (remove the tomato steams and parmesan rind before you blend). Discard any tomato stems if you left those on. 3. If using, crumble the raw sausage into the sauce. Add 1 cup basil. Cook another 1-2 hours.4. When ready to serve, cook the pasta according to package directions until it is al dente. Drain. Add the pasta, parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of basil to the sauce, stirring until smooth. 5. In a skillet, cook the butter over medium heat until browned, 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the garlic and rosemary. Stir the butter into the pasta.6. Divide the pasta between plates. Top with ricotta, additional brown butter, and basil. EAT and ENJOY.
This post was originally published on August 6, 2025
The recipe calls for 1 to 3 tablespoons of chili peppers so I decided that the recommendation of 3 would be acceptable (assuming one had tried this recipe before publishing). Huge mistake! The pasta sauce was inedible. I’ve been putting potatoes, lots of pasta noodles, and extra jarred spaghetti sauce in hopes of bringing the heat level down. My husband and I like hot spicy food, but this was inedible. Recipe users beware!
Hi Mary! I am so sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe! Thank you for giving it a try, and I appreciate the feedback! xT
Delicious. Love any recipe that uses my garden vegetables.
Thank you so much Kathryn! I’m so glad you’re loving this pasta, and I bet it was so yummy with fresh veggies from your garden! 🙂 xT
Delicious & easy! Added a little tomato extract to thicken a lot TJ le. Used bone broth instead of water for a little more flavor and protein. Delicious!
Hey Nancy! So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for giving it a try! 🙂 xT
This was a superb sauce recipe! I was a little curious as to how the brown butter was going to finish it, but it worked out very well! Everyone enjoyed it, including the kids.
Hey Erin! So glad to hear it turned out well! I know it’s not a super common ingredient for a pasta sauce, but the brown butter adds such a nice flavor! It’s great that everyone, even the kids, enjoyed the sauce! Thanks for giving the recipe a try! xT
Is there a reason why you never notate what was updated with the recipe? It shows it was updated at the top 4 days after it was published. I don’t want to try this if it isn’t complete.
Hi Wren! Thanks for pointing that out! Any updates made after publishing are usually small edits, like clarifying instructions, fixing typos, or adding extra tips, and not changes to the core recipe itself. The recipe is complete as written, so you can follow it as is and it should be delish! Enjoy! 🙂 xT
Hi Tieghan! This was delish! I actually made this in my Dutch oven with tons of fresh veggies and herbs from my garden. It was the perfect recipe to use them up. I did NOT have any issues with it being too watery like someone else said- I just let it cook down for a while.
It was so good! My whole fam gobbled it up. Thanks!!
Hi Nina! So happy you and your family loved this! I bet all those fresh veggies and herbs from your garden made it extra flavorful. Letting it cook down is such a great tip, thanks for sharing and for making the recipe your own! xT
Fantastic!
When I make a red sauce this is exact flavor profile I look for ❤️
Wow thank you so much Victoria! I’m so glad you are loving the flavors of this sauce! xT
Second another’s comment. The sauce never thickened. Had it a total of 6 hours on high. Ended up serving with a ladle and slurped the bowl at the end. Will probably end up serving the leftovers over polenta as the sauce had good flavor.
Hi Jaime! So sorry this sauce never thickened up for you! I appreciate the input, thanks so much! xT
I cooked it on low and omitted the meat. Kind of soupy and too spicy. Tried to tame it with heavy cream with the ricotta stirred in. Not my fave but I don’t see a reason to throw you under the bus. Onward and upward!
Hi there! I am so sorry you didn’t enjoy this sauce, I really appreciate the feedback! Have a good day! xT
Any chance it would work to make this with canned whole tomatoes?
Hi Stephanie! I haven’t personally tried that but that should work just fine! Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂 xT
5 stars because I won’t be buying jarred sauce again. Just using the tomato sauce as a base sauce it will now be my go to.
Hi Amy! Wow thank you so much for the kind comment! You could definitely make this and keep it on hand to enjoy! 🙂 xT
This was so watery, the sauce didn’t thicken up at all, and the basil was really overpowering.
Hey Sally! I’m so sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe! I really appreciate the input. Have a good week! xT
I’ve been following HBH for a long time. I was so excited for this recipe. I used homegrown organic tomatoes and basil,thyme and rosemary from my garden… hesitantly I added the cup of water. No regrets, wonderful recipe. I will say, I left out the ground sausage ONLY bc I made bolognese Friday…. i’m grilling some salmon as a side to this fantastic sauce with zucchini noodles. wish I could post a pic!
Hi Kim! Wow I am SO happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks so much for giving it a try! xT
I’d like to make this stovetop instead of in a crockpot. How would you modify it?
Hi Maggie! To make the sauce on the stovetop, simmer the tomatoes, garlic, herbs, and seasoning in a large pot for about 20–30 minutes until softened, then lightly mash or blend. If using sausage, cook it in the sauce until done. Meanwhile, boil pasta until al dente, saving some pasta water. Brown the butter separately with garlic and rosemary, then stir the pasta, parmesan, and brown butter into the sauce, adding pasta water as needed. Top with whipped ricotta and basil, then serve! Hope you love the recipe! xT
I made this tonight for some friends that came over for dinner. Everyone thought it was amazing!! The brown butter and ricotta really made it! I actually made my own ricotta…delish! This recipe is a keeper!
Hi Jen! Thank you so much for trying out this pasta! I’m so glad you enjoyed it, I agree the brown butter adds such a fun flavor! xT