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

Family Favorite Pastas

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!