Name: Roasted Tomato Pasta with Angel Hair
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes (halved or left whole, see note); 3 tablespoons olive oil; 1 teaspoon salt; 12 ounces angel hair pasta; 1 Tablespoon Italian seasoning; 1 teaspoon granulated white sugar; 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3-4 cloves); ½ cup parmesan cheese (grated ); ¼ cup fresh basil (chopped )

This Roasted Tomato Pasta turns even average grocery-store tomatoes into a deep, jammy sauce with real flavor, and it only takes 10 minutes of hands-on work. The oven concentrates the tomatoes while you cook the pasta, and a quick stovetop finish brings everything together.

Spaghetti tossed with tomato sauce, fresh basil, and grated cheese in a white dish.

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Note from Erin

This recipe started as a way to use up the cherry tomatoes from those massive Costco containers. I'd buy them with good intentions, only to end up tossing half the box.

Now I roast them as soon as they start to look a little soft (before they wrinkle), then turn them into this pasta. My family loves it!

Helpful Ingredient Tips

The recipe card at the bottom of this post includes the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.

Ingredients for pasta: dry spaghetti, basil, parmesan, grape tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, sugar, salt, Italian seasoning.

Tomatoes: Halving the tomatoes gives you more caramelization and deeper flavor, since the cut sides hit the heat directly. Leaving them whole is easier and gives you a more delicate sauce as they slowly burst in the oven. I usually halve them when I have a few extra minutes and leave them whole when I don't.
Minced Garlic: I originally tested this with whole roasted garlic, and the flavor came out rather boring. Adding minced garlic to the sauce on the stove instead gives it the sharpness and depth the roasted tomatoes need.
Sugar: I usually don't add sugar to tomato sauces, but this one needs it. I tested without it, and the sauce tasted off in a way I couldn't pinpoint until I added a teaspoon and made it again. It rounds out the acidity from the roasted tomato.

Step-by-Step Tips for the Best Roasted Tomato Pasta

Two side-by-side trays of grape tomatoes, raw on the left and roasted on the right, on parchment paper.

Roast the Tomatoes

You want tomatoes to be caramelized at the edges and starting to shrivel. Some char marks are ideal and add flavor.

A white pot filled with boiling water and cooking spaghetti noodles.

Cook the Pasta

The pasta only seasons from the water it cooks in, so add a couple of teaspoons of salt to the water.
Angel hair cooks fast and will keep cooking when you toss it with the sauce. Drain it slightly underdone and let the residual heat finish it.

Side-by-side images of cherry tomatoes cooking in a white pot, before and after being seasoned and cooked down.

Make the Sauce

Most roasted tomato pasta recipes have you toss the pasta with the tomatoes straight out of the oven. I tested it that way and got a watery, underseasoned sauce. Transferring the tomatoes to the pasta pan while the pasta drains lets you cook off the excess liquid and press the tomatoes into a proper sauce.

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Cooked spaghetti in a white pot with tomato sauce, grated cheese, and chopped fresh basil on top.

Add the Pasta

Start with just a couple of tablespoons of the reserved pasta water. The starch helps the sauce cling to the noodles, so give it a stir and see how it coats. Add a little more if it's still clumping or pulling away from the noodles.

Two peach-colored sparkle shapes on a light gray background.

Top Tip!

Spread the tomatoes across the sheet pan in a single layer with space between each one. Crowded tomatoes steam rather than roast, and you'll end up with pale, watery tomatoes instead of the deep, jammy ones this recipe is built on.

Make Ahead⏳

You can roast the tomatoes and finish the sauce in the skillet up to two days ahead, then store it in an airtight container in the fridge. The flavors meld and deepen overnight. When you're ready to eat, warm the sauce in a skillet over medium-low heat while the pasta cooks.

A bowl of spaghetti topped with tomato sauce, grated cheese, and chopped herbs, with a fork beside the bowl.

Make it Special✨

Tear fresh burrata or add spoonfuls of ricotta over each plate of warm pasta. They melt in and turn it into something restaurant-worthy. Finish with a drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil and a few twists of freshly ground black pepper.

Make it a Meal

For a heartier dinner, sear a handful of shrimp in olive oil with salt and pepper (about 2 minutes per side), then add them to the skillet right before tossing in the pasta. Chicken works too if you'd rather; slice a cooked breast or use shredded chicken and stir it into the sauce to warm through.

Serve it with my Spinach Caprese Salad or Kale Crunch Salad and some crusty bread on the side.

Note from Erin

Helpful Ingredient Tips