This bowl of Tomato Butter Pasta is everything a simple summer pasta should be: rich, glossy, full of tomato flavour, and wonderfully comforting. When tomatoes are at their best, they need very little help. Roasting them slowly with garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper brings out their natural sweetness and turns them soft, jammy, and deeply savoury. Blended with softened butter and fresh basil, they become a silky tomato butter that melts beautifully through hot pasta.
I like to use cherry tomatoes for this tomato butter pasta recipe because they are usually sweet, juicy, and full of flavour. If you have ripe, good-quality larger tomatoes, they will work too; just cut them into smaller pieces before roasting. The most important step is seasoning the tomatoes properly before they go into the oven, then blending them until smooth once they have cooled. The result is a creamy, tomato-rich butter that turns a handful of basic ingredients into a really memorable pasta dish.
The tomato butter is also useful beyond pasta. Spread it on toast, melt it over steak, rub it over chicken before roasting, or spoon it onto warm vegetables. Anything that tastes good with regular butter will probably taste even better with this tomato butter. For pasta, it creates a sauce that is both simple and luxurious, coating every piece with a sweet, savoury, buttery tomato glaze.
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Ingredients:
- Substitutions and Variations
- Here’s how to make this sumptuous Tomato Butter Pasta:
- Cooking tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Recipes you might like
- Made this recipe and loved it?
- Tomato Butter Pasta Recipe
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- It is simple, rich, and incredibly moreish. Once the tomato butter is made, the pasta comes together very quickly.
- The recipe makes more tomato butter than you need for one pasta dish, so you can use the extra in a wide variety of delicious ways.
- It is a brilliant way to use up tomatoes that are slightly past their best. Once roasted and blended, they become sweet, soft, and full of flavour.
Ingredients:
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Pasta: I used calamarata, which looks like little squid rings, but this tomato butter sauce works with almost any pasta shape. Short pasta catches the sauce well, while long pasta gives a classic glossy finish.
Burrata and parmesan: These are optional, but they make the dish feel extra special. Parmesan adds savoury depth, while burrata gives a creamy, soft finish on top.
Cherry tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are ideal because they tend to be naturally sweet and roast beautifully. Their concentrated flavour is what makes the tomato butter so good.
Olive oil: The olive oil is used to roast the tomatoes and garlic. After roasting, save the tomato-infused oil and use it for salad dressings, roasted vegetables, couscous, or sauces.
Garlic cloves: Roasted garlic gives the butter a mellow savoury note and balances the sweetness of the tomatoes.
Salted butter: Salted butter gives the sauce a strong flavour base. You can use unsalted butter if that is what you have, but you may need to season more generously.
Fresh basil: A few sprigs of basil add freshness and a lovely herbal note. It also gives the tomato butter little green flecks, which makes it look as good as it tastes.
Substitutions and Variations
Tomatoes: Cherry tomatoes are my first choice, but larger ripe tomatoes can also be used. Cut them into quarters before roasting so they soften evenly. If larger tomatoes are less sweet, a tiny pinch of sugar or a small splash of balsamic vinegar can help balance the flavour.
Fresh basil: If you do not have basil, try fresh chives or parsley. Any soft herb that you enjoy can work, but keep the flavour gentle so the tomatoes remain the focus.
Garlic: Garlic is recommended because it adds depth, but you can leave it out if needed. For a sharper, slightly tangy butter, add a small splash of balsamic vinegar before blending.
Here’s how to make this sumptuous Tomato Butter Pasta:
The full recipe with measurements is in the recipe card below. This is a simple step-by-step guide to help you as you cook.
ONE: Add the tomatoes, garlic, vines if using, and olive oil to an ovenproof dish. Season well with salt and pepper.
TWO: Roast at 180°C fan until the tomatoes are soft, jammy, and beginning to collapse.
THREE: Lift the tomatoes into a food processor and reserve the tomato cooking oil. Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skins and add it with the basil.
FOUR: Blend the tomatoes, garlic, and basil, then add softened butter and blend again until smooth and creamy. Cook the pasta while the butter is ready.
FIVE: Add a generous spoonful of tomato butter to the hot pasta with parmesan. Stir well until the butter melts and forms a glossy sauce.
SIX: Spoon the pasta into bowls and serve with extra parmesan and burrata, if you like.
Cooking tips
Save the tomato cooking oil: Do not throw it away. Pour it into a clean jar and keep it for roasting vegetables, whisking into salad dressings, or drizzling over grains. It is full of sweet roasted tomato and garlic flavour.
Creating a silky sauce: Many pasta recipes use pasta water to loosen and emulsify a sauce. Here, the roasted tomatoes and butter usually create enough moisture and richness on their own. Start with a modest amount of tomato butter, stir thoroughly, then add more if needed.
Let the tomatoes cool before blending with butter: If the tomatoes are too hot, the butter can melt completely and become oily rather than creamy. Let the roasted tomatoes cool to room temperature before blending them with the softened butter.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you plan to use it soon, let it firm up slightly, then spoon it onto parchment paper and roll it into a log. Twist the ends so you can slice off pieces as needed. For longer freshness, store it in an airtight jar or container in the fridge.
Leftover tomato butter will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. If you want to spread it on bread or use it over chicken, take it out of the fridge ahead of time so it can soften.
It is delicious spread over toast, melted onto steak, stirred through vegetables, or rubbed over chicken before roasting. On toast, it is especially good with a fried egg on top.
Recipes you might like
If you enjoy creamy tomato pasta recipes, you may also like dishes made with cherry tomatoes, burrata, nduja, sausage, fennel, chilli, chicken, or tuna. These flavours all work beautifully with pasta and are ideal when you want something comforting, satisfying, and full of flavour.
Easy Lamb Recipes
One-Pan Slow Cooked Lamb with Baby Potatoes & Oregano
Pancake Recipes
Kaiserschmarrn (Traditional Austrian Pancakes)
High Protein Recipes
High Protein Dinner Recipes
Easy Baking Recipes
Cornflake Dream Cake with Mini Eggs
Made this recipe and loved it?
If you make this tomato butter pasta, I would love to hear what you think. Share how it turned out, whether you used burrata, which pasta shape you chose, and any small changes you made. Recipes are always more enjoyable when they become part of your own kitchen routine.
Tomato Butter Pasta
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 250 g pasta
- Burrata and parmesan, to serve
For the butter:
- 300 g cherry tomatoes
- Salt
- Pepper
- Olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves
- 250 g salted butter, softened
- A few sprigs of basil
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C. Add the cherry tomatoes, vines if included, garlic cloves in their skins, salt, pepper, and enough olive oil to at least half-cover the tomatoes to a roasting tin. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until soft and jammy. Drain and reserve the tomato cooking oil.
-
Let the roasted tomatoes cool. Add them to a food processor, squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skins, and add the basil. Blend until smooth.
-
Add the softened butter and blend again until the tomato butter is smooth, creamy, and well combined.
-
Cook the pasta in heavily salted boiling water until al dente. Drain, return it to the pan, and add a generous spoonful of tomato butter with grated parmesan. Stir well until a glossy sauce forms, adding more butter and cheese as needed.
-
Spoon into bowls and finish with burrata and extra parmesan, if desired.
Notes
Save the tomato cooking oil: Use it for salad dressings, roasted vegetables, sauces, grains, or couscous.
How else to use tomato butter: Spread it on toast, melt it over steak, stir it through vegetables, or rub it over chicken before roasting.