Turmeric-Butter Pasta With Tomatoes
Published August 21, 2025
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Salt and black pepper
8 ounces fettuccine or linguine
10 ounces small tomatoes, such as cherry or Sungold
4 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
Crumbled feta, optional, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
113 grams carbs; 93 milligrams cholesterol; 836 calories; 9 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams saturated fat; 35 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 743 milligrams sodium; 20 grams protein; 21 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.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, reserve ½ cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes into halves or quarters and finely chop or grate the garlic.
- Step 3
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium. Once bubbling, stir in the garlic and turmeric, letting them sizzle and bloom until fragrant, 10 to 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are warmed through and just starting to cave in and become part of the butter sauce, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 4
When the pasta is done cooking, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet, letting it melt almost completely before adding the pasta and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything very well, adding more pasta water as the sauce thickens and the pasta soaks it up, then turn off heat. Transfer to serving plates. Top with more black pepper and feta, if using.
Private Notes
Comments
Wow, this was incredible!! I added zucchini, corn, and basil because I had them, but the turmeric-tomato-butter is amazing.
As a tomato hater, this was…delicious! Subtle, yet rich flavor and the sauce came out nice and creamy. I’d consider adding chickpeas or chicken next time for some protein, but the pasta was nice and light on its own.
Instead of feta - which personally strikes me as an odd thing to add - ricotta salata or pecorino would give the salty lift at the end.
Just made it with Italian tri-color farfalle and it was even better. Such a simple and elegant recipe!
Fast and easy to make. The only changes I made was using edamame fettuccine which worked well with the recipe. It also added 44 grams of protein for a 3.5 oz serving 19 grams of fiber. Next time I will add some Daring Chicken. I also want to try Daring Cajun or Teriyaki Chicken with it. They have excellent flavor and should work well with this dish.
Simple, yet underwhelming. Made it exactly was described but without the feta. I added vegan Parmesan and black pepper as garnish. Maybe it will taste better as leftovers once the flavors meld, but 5 tablespoons of butter for 8oz of pasta seems like overkill. I won’t be making it again.