Tomato-Butter Pasta

By Ali Slagle

Updated Feb. 18, 2025

• Total Time: 25 minutes

• Rating: 4 (2,431 ratings)

• Comments: 189 comments read

This pasta is designed to highlight ripe, intensely flavored tomatoes with minimal effort—avoid using off-season grocery store tomatoes, as their lack of sweetness will result in a bland final dish. Inspired by pan con tomate (the Spanish classic where grated tomato and its juices are spooned over garlic toasts), this recipe relies on vigorous stirring to emulsify grated tomato with cold butter, creating a glossy, light, pink-tinged sauce that captures the sweet, fresh-cooked essence of tomato.

Red-pepper flakes, garlic, basil, and Parmesan amplify the tomato’s natural depth, and while additional toppings or tweaks are optional, they are unnecessary—this is the pinnacle of effortless summer cooking. (For reference: Leftovers make an exceptional room-temperature pasta salad.)

To receive vegetarian recipes like this one directly in your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter.

Or save this recipe for later.