There’s something about roasting tomatoes and garlic together that makes a simple pasta sauce taste like you spent much longer making it. The tomatoes turn soft and sweet, the garlic becomes mellow, and the onion picks up those slightly caramelized edges that give the sauce so much flavor.
That’s what makes this creamy roasted cherry tomato pasta one of those recipes worth keeping around. Instead of building the sauce on the stove, you roast the vegetables until they’re bursting with flavor, blend everything until smooth, and toss it with pasta and a little reserved pasta water. The result is a creamy, tomato-rich sauce that coats every piece of rigatoni beautifully.
Once the tomatoes are blended with the roasted garlic, cream, and tomato paste, those juices become part of the sauce, giving it a deeper flavor than you’d expect from such a short ingredient list.
It’s a lovely dinner for a busy evening when you want something comforting without making a complicated sauce from scratch.
Why You’ll Love This Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta
- Roasting brings out the flavor. Cherry tomatoes become sweeter and more concentrated in the oven, while the onion and garlic add depth.
- The sauce is creamy and smooth. Everything is blended together, so you get tomato flavor in every bite.
- It’s simple to prepare. The vegetables roast for 22–25 minutes while you cook the pasta.
- You can use milk or heavy cream. Milk gives you a lighter sauce, while heavy cream makes it richer.
- It works with different pasta shapes. Rigatoni is a great choice because the sauce settles inside the tubes, but similar pasta shapes work too.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Cherry tomatoes: These are the foundation of the sauce. Roasting concentrates their natural sweetness and gives the finished pasta its fresh tomato flavor.
- Sweet white onion: Adds sweetness and body without overpowering the tomatoes.
- Garlic: Roast the cloves with their skins on. They soften inside their skins and become easy to squeeze out afterward.
- Olive oil and kosher salt: Coat and season the vegetables before roasting.
- Rigatoni: Its ridges and hollow center are perfect for holding the creamy sauce.
- Butter: Tossing the drained pasta in butter adds richness. You can substitute olive oil.
- Milk or heavy cream: Both work; choose based on how rich you want the sauce.
- Tomato paste: Adds concentrated tomato flavor and helps give the sauce a deeper color.
- Pasta water: Helps loosen the sauce and gives it a glossy finish.
- Parmesan: Finely grated Parmesan adds a savory finish and can help the sauce cling to the pasta.
How to Make Creamy Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta
1. Roast the vegetables
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) and line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper. Alternatively, use a toaster oven set to 450°F convection.
Add the cherry tomatoes, onion wedges, and garlic cloves, leaving the garlic skins on. Drizzle generously with olive oil, season with kosher salt, and toss everything together.
Roast for 22–25 minutes, until the tomatoes have burst and the vegetables are soft with a little char around the edges.
Don’t worry if the tomatoes release a lot of liquid. Those juices are full of flavor, and you’ll blend them into the sauce along with the roasted vegetables.
2. Cook the pasta
While the vegetables roast, cook the rigatoni in salted boiling water according to the package instructions until al dente.
Before draining, reserve 1 cup of pasta water. This is one of those small steps that makes a noticeable difference to the finished dish, so remember to do it before you empty the pot.
Drain the pasta, melt the butter in the same pot, and toss the pasta in the melted butter. Cover and set aside while you prepare the sauce.
3. Blend the roasted tomato sauce
Once the vegetables are roasted, squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and add them to a blender along with the cherry tomatoes, onion, and all the juices from the pan.
Add the milk or heavy cream, tomato paste and salt.
Start blending on low speed, gradually increasing to high. Blend for 2 minutes, until the sauce is creamy and smooth.
Taste and adjust the salt as needed. If you prefer an extra-smooth sauce, strain it through a sieve into a bowl. This step is optional, but it helps remove tomato skins and any remaining bits of onion, leaving you with a smoother sauce that coats the pasta beautifully.
4. Toss the pasta with the sauce
Pour the sauce over the buttered pasta and add a generous splash of reserved pasta water.
Set the pot over medium-low heat and toss everything together until the pasta is evenly coated. Add more pasta water as needed until the sauce becomes glossy and reaches your preferred consistency.
If you’d like, stir in a small amount of finely grated Parmesan at this stage. It adds another layer of savory flavor and helps the sauce cling to the pasta.
Serve immediately with extra Parmesan.
Tips for the Best Creamy Tomato Pasta
Keep the garlic skins on while roasting. This protects the garlic from direct heat and helps it become soft and mellow instead of burning.
Don’t skip the roasting juices. Pour everything from the pan into the blender. The juices contribute to the flavor and texture of the sauce.
Blend long enough. Two full minutes helps break down the roasted vegetables into a smooth sauce.
Strain for a smoother finish. This is especially useful if your tomatoes have thicker skins or you want a restaurant-style texture.
Add pasta water gradually. The sauce may look thick at first, but the starchy water helps loosen it while keeping it silky. You may not need the entire cup.
Serve it straight away. The sauce thickens as it sits, so it’s at its best when freshly tossed with the pasta.
What to Serve With It
This pasta is delicious on its own, but a few simple sides make it feel like a complete dinner.
- Garlic bread or crispy bread.
- A fresh green salad with a light vinaigrette.
- Roasted zucchini or broccoli.
- Extra freshly grated Parmesan for serving.
Storage and Reheating
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
When reheating, add a splash of water or milk and warm the pasta gently in a pan over medium-low heat, stirring until the sauce loosens.
The sauce may thicken as it cools, but a little extra liquid will help bring back its creamy consistency.
- 16 oz 450 g cherry tomatoes
- 2 medium sweet white onions cut into wedges
- 8 garlic cloves skins on
- Olive oil and kosher salt for roasting
- 10 oz 290 g rigatoni or similar pasta
- 2 tbsp butter or substitute olive oil
- 90 g milk or heavy cream
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp kosher salt plus more as needed
- Reserved pasta water up to 1 cup
- Finely grated Parmesan for serving
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper, or use a toaster oven at 450°F convection.
Add cherry tomatoes, onion wedges, and garlic cloves with their skins on to the pan. Drizzle generously with olive oil, season with kosher salt, and toss.
Roast for 22–25 minutes, until the tomatoes burst and the vegetables soften and develop slightly charred edges.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
Melt the butter in the pasta pot, toss in the cooked pasta, cover, and set aside.
Squeeze the roasted garlic out of its skins. Blend it with the roasted tomatoes, onion, pan juices, milk or heavy cream, tomato paste and salt. Blend for 2 minutes, starting on low and increasing to high.
Taste and adjust the salt. For a smoother sauce, strain through a sieve into a bowl.
Pour the sauce over the pasta and add a generous splash of pasta water. Toss over medium-low heat, adding more pasta water as needed, until glossy and coated.
Stir in a little Parmesan if desired. Serve immediately with finely grated Parmesan.
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