Grape Tomato and lemon pasta is literally my all time favorite comfort food. Sliced tomatoes cooked on the stovetop until they burst in a mix of olive oil and butter. Add in fresh lemon juice and the pasta of your choice. Top with fresh basil and some pepper or Parmesan cheese. This dish comes together quickly and is a hit every time.

This summer has been a roller coaster to say the least. I cannot believe it is already July!

First off, some sad news for my long time blog readers. My beloved pug Weezer passed away in his sleep after 14 years of amazing memories.

We are all still sort of reeling and trying to get into the new normal without him hanging in the kitchen checking out what’s cooking.

With that being said, I have turned to my all time comfort food…

Fresh grape tomato and lemon pasta!

Even Weezer was known to slurp up a few noodles from this dish in his prime.

Lucky for me and all of you tomato season is in full swing so it will be easy for you all to join me in a big bowl of comfort.

This dish includes the following ingredients:

• fresh cherry or grape tomatoes
• extra-virgin olive oil
• unsalted butter
• juice from 1 lemon
• salt and pepper
• a long noodle of your choice (spaghetti, linguine, or bucatini are my faves)

Start by slicing your pint of tomatoes in half.

Or don’t! It is really up to you on how much hands on time you have to spare.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Add the tomatoes and cover with a lid. Cook until the tomatoes burst and start to break down, about 5 minutes.

Use the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to really smush up the tomatoes.

Reduce the heat to low.

Salt the tomatoes and add in the butter.

Add the noodles to the boiling water.

By the time the are cooked, the tomatoes should be perfect!

Squeeze the juice from the lemon into the tomatoes and mix to combine.

Use tongs to transfer the cooked noodles right into the pan with the tomatoes.

Toss to combine.

Season with more salt if needed and a little black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.

I really love to finish this pasta off with fresh herbs and a little Parmesan cheese.

My favorite to add to fresh tomato and lemon pasta is basil.

It is so fresh and bright.

You can also add some fresh parsley or oregano.

Another variation I add when making Mike eat this is I add chopped garlic and a 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes in with the oil before I add the tomatoes.

It adds more heat and flavor for those who don’t really like a tomato forward dish.

There are a few other variations of this pasta on the blog:

The Butter-Free Version with Roma Tomatoes

The Broiled/Roasted Tomato Version with Mozzarella

The Tomato Butter Version with Tube Noodles

Any way you like it; tomatoes, noodles, and lemons are a great comforting combo.

To watch a how to video for this recipe, follow THIS LINK.

Grape Tomato and Lemon Pasta

Yield: Serves 2-4

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Fresh grape tomatoes cooked in olive oil and butter and then mixed with fresh lemon juice and the noodle of your choice.

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Ingredients

• 8oz spaghetti/linguine/bucatini noodles
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• salt and pepper to taste
• juice from 1 lemon
• fresh basil
• Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. While the water comes to a boil, slice the tomatoes in half length-wise.
2. Heat the oil in a medium/large skillet over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the tomatoes. Cover with lid. Cook for about 5 minutes until the tomatoes start to break down.
3. Remove the lid and salt the tomatoes with a big pinch of kosher or maldon sea salt. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to smash the tomatoes and mix until a thick sauce sort of forms.
4. Add the noodles to the boiling water and cook until tender.
5. Add the butter to the tomatoes. Cover with lid and cook on low until the butter melts and starts to caramelize along the edges. Mix every once in a while.
6. When the noodles are cooked, remove the lid from the tomatoes. Mix the butter and tomatoes together. Add the lemon juice, mix.
7. Use tongs to transfer the noodles right into the hot tomato sauce. Toss with tongs to combine.
8. Top the pasta with fresh chopped basil and a little black pepper or crushed red pepper flakes. I also like to add a big pinch of Parmesan cheese to the top of each serving.

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