Pasta With Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula

By Martha Rose Shulman

Published July 21, 2008

  • Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Rating
5(1,079)
Comments
Read comments

This simple, glorious dish, popular in the southern Italian region of Puglia, is an argument for keeping cherry tomato plants in your garden or on your fire escape. Uncooked tomato sauce is juicy and cool on a summer evening. The recipe asks only that you halve the tomatoes (quarter them if they are particularly large), then combine them with garlic, salt, balsamic vinegar, arugula, basil and olive oil. Toss that with cooked pasta, and shower with salty, firm shavings of ricotta salata. Arugula adds wonderful flavor (all the more if you can find peppery wild arugula) and a nutritional punch.

Featured in: Summer Salad With Feta

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield: 4 servings

  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved if small, quartered if large

  • 1 plump garlic clove, minced or put through a press (more to taste)

  • Salt to taste (I like to use a very good coarse sea salt or fleur de sel for this)

  • 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (optional)

  • 1 cup arugula leaves, coarsely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon slivered or chopped fresh basil

  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

  • ¾ pound fusille, farfalle, or orecchiette

  • ¼ cup freshly grated ricotta salata or Parmesan (more to taste)

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

68 grams carbs; 6 milligrams cholesterol; 431 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 11 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 457 milligrams sodium; 15 grams protein; 5 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine the cherry tomatoes, garlic, salt, balsamic vinegar, arugula, basil, and olive oil in a wide bowl. Let sit for 15 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Add a generous amount of salt and the pasta. Cook al dente, until the pasta is firm to the bite. Drain, toss with the tomatoes, sprinkle on the cheese, and serve.

Tip

  • 407 calories; calories from fat 92; total fat: 10.3g; saturated fat 2.0g; cholesterol 6mg; sodium 140mg; total carbohydrates 67.4g; dietary fiber 4.0g; sugars 3.7g; protein 13.9g (Data provided by calorie-count.com)

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
1,079 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Beth Gahbler

Great - but as with all NYT pasta recipes, I reduced the amount of pasta and practically tripled the amount of veggies and olive oil. We like our pasta with more sauce. Didn't have ricotta salata, so used pecorino. Also great!

Joan A.

A great recipe! After making it as written once I have added more basil, arugula, vinegar and cheese to suit us.

Susan

Roasted the cherry tomatoes with a bulb of garlic @375 for 30min. Cool slightly and squished out the soft garlic and mashed in the tomatoes and other ingredients. Gives a bit of depth for a quick winter meal.

DD

You can make this dish work well in the winter by marinating the sliced cherry tomatoes in salt and olive oil for 30 minutes before using. They won’t pass for August tomatoes, but the marinade really freshens the flavor.

Nica B

Delicious and easy to make! Made with list of ingredients, but reduced pasta to 6 oz. whole wheat Penne Rigate no. 41 and increased Parmesan to 1/2 c. adding a few tablespoons at a time.

Dancer

Fast, easy and delicious.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.