It’s cherry tomato season again! I don’t know about you, but the most prolific tomato plants here at Montegatta are the cherry tomatoes. My favorite way to eat them is right off the vine! They make a great snack when I’m out tending to the chores. But there are always much more than I can eat. So, I am forever looking for ways to use these little guys up, and this cherry tomato sauce is the best!
We grow several different types of cherry tomatoes, and they can be used in this recipe interchangeably or all mixed together as an assortment.
This garden fresh recipe is not only fantastic over pasta, but it is great with polenta, spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles. You can even use it on your chicken parmesan.
The secret to this cherry tomato sauce recipe is separating the tiny tomatoes into two parts. The first batch, and the bulk of the tomatoes, get cooked down just as you would a regular tomato sauce.
But the second batch of tomatoes gets added at the end, so although they warm in the sauce, they stay pretty plump on the plate, adding a wonderful texture and sweet flavor when you bite in.
Ingredients
- 8 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 -2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed to release the oil
- 1 medium sized onion
- 3-4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Fresh basil and parmesan cheese to garnish
Instructions for Cherry Tomato Sauce
In a saucepan, sauté the garlic and onion with the olive oil until the onion is soft.
Add 6 cups of the cherry tomatoes.
When the tomatoes start to pop and bubble, reduce the heat to low and simmer a few more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Once the first batch has released its juice, stir in the remaining 2 cups of tomatoes, and cook just until the new batch of tomatoes start to burst, releasing their liquid. The first batch of tomatoes should be saucy, and the second batch should still be plump and just starting to pop.
Serve with pasta or polenta and sausage. Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.
