Pasta with Tomatoes and Garlic White Wine Sauce
You are less than 30 minutes away from the best pasta with tomatoes and garlic white wine sauce you’ve ever tasted! Fresh, ripe grape tomatoes combine with butter, garlic, white wine, and a splash of heavy cream to create a light, creamy pasta dish perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
You Will Love This
- It’s SO simple! 10 ingredients is all it takes to throw together this family dinner favorite. The flavors are classic, straightforward forward and universally enjoyed by many! If you’re looking for other easy pasta recipes with tomatoes check out my 15 Minute Greek Pasta, Creamy Vegan Tuscan Pasta, or Bruschetta Chicken Pasta.
- It’s quick and easy! You could even boil the noodles a day ahead of time and store them in the fridge until you’re ready to make dinner which would make this about a 15-minute dinner!
- If you have picky eaters in your family who maybe don’t love raw tomatoes (myself included) this recipe is a great way for them to try a freshly cooked tomato. And the grape tomatoes are large enough that they can pick them out if they prefer! They can still enjoy the flavor of simmered tomato and garlic cream sauce that lightly coats every noodle!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Butter – If you don’t have butter on hand, you could use olive oil in its place, but butter adds a delicious flavor to this pasta that you really can’t get from olive oil.
- Olive Oil – Try to find an olive oil that is cold-pressed and organic for the best flavor.
- Fresh Garlic – This is a non-negotiable ingredient in this garlic tomato pasta! Fresh garlic is going to add a ton of flavor to this dish, and it really can’t be duplicated by garlic powder.
- Dried Oregano – You could also use dried thyme or dried sage in place of the dried oregano in this pasta.
- Grape Tomatoes – Cherry tomatoes would work in place of the grape tomatoes for this pasta. You could also dice up Roma tomatoes or beefsteak tomatoes, but keep in mind that diced fresh tomatoes are going to break down more in this white wine sauce than grape/cherry tomatoes.
- White Wine – A dry white wine that you like to drink is best for this recipe. I prefer sauvignon blanc or pinot grigio. If you don’t cook with wine or don’t have any hand, you could use broth in its place, but the flavor will be slightly different.
- Heavy Cream – You could also use half and half or whole milk in place of the heavy cream in this pasta, but the texture will be slightly looser and less creamy.
- Pasta – Use your favorite pasta for this dish. Short cuts or long cuts of pasta will work well with this light white wine cream sauce.
- Fresh Basil – This is a non-negotiable ingredient in this dish. Fresh basil is going to add a delicious punch of fresh flavor.
- Parmesan Cheese – I love the nutty flavor that Parmesan gives to this light pasta dish, but fresh mozzarella or burrata would also be a delicious compliment to the tomatoes and basil.
Instructions
Pour yourself a glass of wine and prep your ingredients ahead of time because once you get started, this recipe moves quickly – which means you’ll have dinner on the table in no time!
Melt butter and olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add garlic and oregano and cook for about a minute, stirring frequently.
Add tomatoes along with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Add wine and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 6-8 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and stir in heavy cream and add pasta.
Toss with pasta and season to taste.
Garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan.
Tips
- Boil your pasta JUST until al dente. I usually boil it for about 1 minute less than the lowest recommended cooking time. So if it says boil 9-11 minutes, I usually start tasting it at 8 minutes and strain the noodles as soon as they’re al dente. They’re going to cook just a bit more once tossed with the sauce so this will prevent them from getting mushy.
- Toss your cooked pasta in olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. This is going to prevent it from sticking together and making it really easy to slather it in the tomato and garlic sauce at the end. Also, no need to rinse the pasta at all! Those starches are going to help the sauce coat every noodle.
- Be sure to keep stirring after you’ve added the garlic so that it doesn’t burn! The butter, oil, and white wine are going to do a good job coating the garlic, which will keep it from burning also. But make sure that you are stirring the garlic and tomatoes every couple of minutes while they simmer so that a rouge piece of garlic doesn’t stick to the pan and burn.
- Work over medium or medium-low heat for this recipe. It can be tempting to crank the heat and get things moving (especially when you have to simmer something for 8 minutes). But DON’T! As mentioned above the garlic can burn easily so it’s important to heat it low and slow. Patience is a virtue and it will come in handy for this recipe!
FAQ
A dry white wine that you enjoy drinking will give you the best flavor. My personal favorites are sauvignon blanc, pinot grigio, or chardonnay. You want a wine that’s mellow but on the dry side. Don’t use Moscato or sweet dessert wine. The dish won’t taste like wine when it’s finished so don’t worry if you’re not much of a wine drinker or don’t enjoy the flavor of wine by itself.
I would really urge you not to! Jarred minced garlic just doesn’t have the same flavor that fresh garlic will give this dish. It just takes a couple minutes to slice up some fresh cloves and it’s totally worth the time!
I find that grape tomatoes work best for this tomato pasta recipe, but cherry tomatoes and possibly even roughly chopped Roma tomatoes would work great also. The grape tomatoes are the perfect size so you can grab a bit of pasta and a bit of tomato and basil in each forkful! No matter what tomato you use, I’d recommend using fresh tomatoes; canned just won’t be the same.
Family Favorite Pastas
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Pasta with Tomatoes and Garlic
You are less than 30 minutes away from the best pasta with tomatoes and garlic white wine sauce you’ve ever tasted! Fresh, ripe grape tomatoes combine with butter, garlic, white wine, and a splash of heavy cream to create a light, creamy pasta dish perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/3 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz. penne pasta, cooked according to package directions until al dente
- 3 tablespoons fresh basil, julienne cut
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
- Heat butter and olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat until butter melts.
- Add garlic and oregano and cook for about a minute, stirring frequently.
- Then add tomatoes and white wine along with a pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer.
- Simmer over medium to medium-low heat for 6-8 minutes or until cherry tomatoes begin to burst.
- Remove pan from heat and stir in heavy cream.
- Add pasta and toss to coat evenly. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with fresh basil and Parmesan.
Notes
Boil your pasta JUST until al dente. I usually boil it for about 1 minute less than the lowest recommended cooking time. So if it says boil 9-11 minutes, I usually start tasting it at 8 minutes and strain the noodles as soon as they’re al dente. They’re going to cook just a bit more once tossed with the sauce so this will prevent them from getting mushy.
Toss your cooked pasta in olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. This is going to prevent it from sticking together and making it really easy to slather it in the tomato and garlic sauce at the end. Also, no need to rinse the pasta at all! Those starches are going to help the sauce coat every noodle.
Be sure to keep stirring after you’ve added the garlic so that it doesn’t burn! The butter, oil, and white wine are going to do a good job coating the garlic, which will keep it from burning also. But make sure that you are stirring the garlic and tomatoes every couple of minutes while they simmer so that a rouge piece of garlic doesn’t stick to the pan and burn.
Work over medium or medium-low heat for this recipe. It can be tempting to crank the heat and get things moving (especially when you have to simmer something for 8 minutes). But DON’T! As mentioned above the garlic can burn easily so it’s important to heat it low and slow. Patience is a virtue and it will come in handy for this recipe!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 373
- Sugar: 4.2 g
- Sodium: 278.8 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 11.1 g
- Carbohydrates: 34.4 g
- Fiber: 2.5 g
- Protein: 14.4 g
- Cholesterol: 54.6 mg
This post was originally published in May of 2018. It was updated in March 2021 to include process shots, step-by-step instructions and tips for making the best tomato and garlic pasta every single time!
Where is the burrata?? I see it In the title but not in the recipe.
This was an old updated recipe and the new version does not include burrata. I’ve updated the recipe card to reflect that. Thank you for bringing it to my attention, Teresa!
Very easy to make and delicious! I added spinach and used Hearts of Palm pasta noodles (simply because I bought them and wanted to try them). I will definitely make this again!
This is the second time making this. I substituted a small can of petite diced tomatoes I just drained the juice and added them after the heavy cream.
Hi. Looks delicious. Question: the recipe suggests 8 oz of pasta to serve 6! Is this based on it being a side dish to go with meat or fish? If it’s the main course …and for some hearty eaters…how much pasta per person do you recommend? Thanks!
If I were serving big eaters I would plan to double the recipe! Doubling it would give you enough to feed 8 big eaters or 10-12 smaller portions.
Delicious!!! Recipe a keeper. 😉 thank you!
So delicious! I added mushrooms, doubled the Parmesan and added it to the sauce to make it thicker and cheesier. Such an easy, restaurant quality meal!
I never leave reviews but this was so easy and so delicious. I define delicious as everyone in my family of four enjoyed it! Putting it in rotation.
The garlic cream sauce tastes amazing with the basil and penne. Easy to make and will use again.
I live in an area where wine isn’t sold near by. Can I use white wine vinegar or chicken stock?
Yes – chicken stock would be perfect in place of the wine. Good question, Jane! 🙂
Can you sub Cashew Milk for heavy cream since we do not eat dairy. Thanks.
Yes! I think cashew milk or even coconut milk would work great in this recipe. We might have to adjust the amount a bit but I think the consistency would be very similar!
Amen to no jarred garlic!
Right?!?!
So yummy! I’m just loving your recipes right now! So fresh, tasty, easy and quick! Thanks!
I am loving hearing that Kimmy! This pasta is such a quick and easy dinner!
Where do you find burrata in Eau Claire? I have never found it!
Woodman’s! I used to find it at Festival too but I haven’t seen it there for a while.