Cherry Tomato Sauce with Garlic
This cherry tomato sauce with garlic is a fragrant, flavorful, satisfying, and lighter sauce that comes together in less than 20 minutes. It tastes satisfying mixed into pasta, zoodles, rice, or potatoes.
We have always loved flavorful pasta sauces. From our green pepper pesto sauce to our cauliflower pine nut sauce, the more flavor and nutrients, the better.
And this cherry tomato garlic sauce fits the bill. It is exploding in rich sweet cherry tomato flavor and fragrant garlic, and it has a hint of spice from the chili flakes. It is simple yet indulgent and it makes for a wonderful pasta sauce ( or any type of sauce) option.
Why this recipe works
- It is made with a handful of lighter ingredients.
- It comes together in 15-20 minutes.
- This sauce tastes great on top of pasta, zoodles, rice, or potatoes.
- It is allergy friendly. This recipe is dairy free, soy free, and nut free.
- It is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants thanks to the garlic and cherry tomatoes.
Recipe Ingredients
- Olive oil– any good quality olive oil works here. We like using extra virgin olive oil.
- Garlic– fresh garlic cloves give this sauce a great flavor.
- Red chili pepper flakes– this gives a great spice to the sauce.
- Cherry tomatoes– these are usually round and small tomatoes and have a bigger pop of flavor compared to other tomatoes.
- Dried oregano and dried basil– these herbs help season the sauce.
- Tomato basil sauce– this gives a good texture to the sauce.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Additions/ Substitutions
- Instead of olive oil, you can use avocado oil.
- Instead of dried basil and oregano, you can use fresh basil and fresh oregano.
- Instead of tomato basil sauce, you can use any marinara.
- If you want this sauce MORE spicy, add more chili flakes.
- If you want this sauce LESS spicy, omit the chili flakes or add less.
Step by step instructions
Step 1
Step 1: Sauté chopped garlic in olive oil until fragrant and soft.
Step 2
Step 2: Add the cherry tomatoes, chili flakes, salt, pepper, oregano and basil and cook for 8-10 minutes. Make sure to press down on the tomatoes so the juices release.
Step 3
Step 3: Add tomato basil sauce to the pan.
Step 4
Step 4: Mix everything together until heated through.
Step 5
Step 5: Add the sauce to your favorite pasta, carb, or veggie.
Recipe FAQs
What is our favorite way to release the tomato juice from cherry tomatoes?With a potato masher! Once the tomatoes have warmed up, smoosh them with a potato masher or the back of a spatula.
Do cherry tomatoes taste different than regular tomatoes?They do! They are smaller and more concentrated in flavor than regular tomatoes. They can be tart or sweet.
How do you store this sauce?Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Prep 5 minutesCook 12 minutesTotal 17 minutesMakes 4
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 8 cloves of garlic, chipped
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 12 ounces cherry tomatoes,, halved
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 cup tomato basil sauce or marinara sauce
Method
- Put the olive oil into a sauté pan, and add the chopped garlic to the oil. Mix together. Cook over medium heat for 1.5-2 minutes. Make sure to stir the garlic often and watch it carefully, to make sure it doesn't burn. If it starts to turn brown too quickly, remove it from heat and then put it back on.
- Add the cherry tomatoes, chili flakes, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil to the pan. Mix and reduce the stove top heat to low medium.
- Push down on the tomatoes with a potato masher or the back of spatula. Let everything cook for 8-10 minutes, mixing every so often. Add the marinara sauce to the pan and mix, then cook for 30 seconds or until the sauce is heated through.
Notes
- Instead of olive oil, you can use avocado oil.
- Instead of dried basil and oregano, you can use fresh basil and fresh oregano.
- Instead of tomato basil sauce, you can use any marinara.
- If you want this sauce MORE spicy, add more chili flakes.
- If you want this sauce LESS spicy, omit the chili flakes or add less.
