What kind of wine is best for white wine cream sauce?

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.

Can I use minced garlic from a jar?

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!

What kind of tomatoes are best for tomato pasta?

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.

Pasta with Tomatoes and Garlic White Wine Sauce

Pasta with Tomatoes and Garlic

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5 from 7 reviews

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!

Author: Kylie
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

Units Scale

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.

large saute pan

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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!