This classic Vegan Tomato Basil Pasta is an absolute must-make when tomatoes are in season! This simple Summer pasta recipe contains just 10 ingredients, is easily made gluten-free, can be made in 30 minutes or less, and is packed with fresh tomato flavor!
Wondering what to do with all those cherry tomatoes? Make this burst cherry tomato pasta, of course!
I love pasta all year round, but come summertime I literally crave pasta filled with fresh in-season veggies. My Vegan Asparagus Chickpea Pasta and Vegan Lemon Butter Pasta have been longtime Summer favorites, but this pasta filled with fresh tomatoes, basil & vegan parmesan has truly become a new staple!
Ingredients:
Here's a quick recap of the simple ingredients you need for this vegan tomato pasta recipe:
- Linguine pasta
- To keep it gluten-free, I like using Ancient Harvest Quinoa Linguine. However, any brand works!
- Olive oil
- Shallots
- Garlic
- Cherry or grape tomatoes
- Lemon juice
- Dried parsley
- Chili flakes
- Salt & pepper
- Fresh basil
- Pasta water (reserved from cooking the pasta)
- Vegan parmesan (optional)
Steps to make tomato basil pasta
First, cook the pasta
This step is pretty simple, but make sure to cook pasta in extra salty boiling water for the best results! Also, make sure to reserve ⅓ cup of pasta water to use for the sauce before straining out the noodles.
Saute shallots & garlic
While the pasta is cooking, finely chop up the shallots & mince the garlic. Then, add it to a pan with the olive oil and cook for 2-3 minutes until the shallots begin to turn translucent.
Add in tomatoes & seasoning
Next, pour in those cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes. Either works for this recipe, but you want to make sure to use small tomatoes so they have time to burst! Then, add in the lemon juice and seasoning including the dried parsley, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Use more chili flakes for a spicier dish and season with salt to your liking!
Cook until tomatoes burst
Once everything is added in you'll want to cook the tomatoes for about 12-15 minutes until they burst. If you have a few stubborn tomatoes that won't burst, just use a fork to gently puncture them and mix them into a sauce. The juices from the cherry tomatoes create the sauce for this recipe and add SO much flavor to this dish.
Add in pasta, pasta water, & fresh basil
Once the tomatoes have burst and turned into a flavorful vegan tomato sauce, add in the cooked linguine, reserved pasta water, and fresh chopped basil. Stir it all together and serve with optional vegan parmesan on top!
FAQ & Substitutions:
For this recipe, I used Ancient Harvest quinoa pasta with is gluten-free u0026 has no eggs. Most dried pasta do not have eggs in them though, so just check the ingredients list before purchasing. Fresh pasta does tend to have eggs in it, so that may be one to avoid for this recipe if you want to keep it vegan.
I LOVE Violife Vegan Parmesan, especially since you can grate it and it really looks u0026 tastes like real parmesan cheese. Other great options include Follow Your Heart or make your own with this Vegan Parmesan cheese recipe.
Leftovers can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. I recommend adding the vegan parmesan right before serving for the best leftover results!
Pasta water tends to be starchy u0026 salted and will help add some thickening power and flavor to the dish. Essentially this water helps glue the pasta to the simple sauce we are making.
Now that we have this delicious Vegan Tomato Basil Pasta recipe, who is ready for all the Summer BBQs and outdoor gatherings to come?! This is a staple for an easy weeknight dinner- and will make sure your tomatoes never go to waste. Enjoy!
-TSG
More Vegan Pasta Recipes You Will Love:
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Vegan Tomato Basil Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz linguine
- ⅓ cup pasta water reserved from cooking
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 shallots chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 16 oz cherry/grape tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice about ½ lemon juiced
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼-1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
- salt & pepper to taste
- ½ cup chopped basil
- vegan parmesan optional, to top pasta
Instructions
- First, cook the pasta according to the package instructions and dice up the shallots and garlic. Before straining the pasta, make sure to reserve ⅓ cup of pasta water to use later in the sauce.
- Add the olive oil to a pan and turn on the heat. Once hot, add in the chopped shallots and minced garlic and sauté 2-3 minutes until beginning to turn translucent.
- Next, add in the tomatoes and seasoning including the lemon juice, dried parsley, and red chili flakes. You can also add salt & pepper to your liking at this time.
- Cook the tomatoes for 12-15 minutes until they "burst" and the juices come out. Make sure to stir the mixture around while cooking. If any tomatoes haven't burst by the 15 minute mark, gently pierce them with a fork to help burst them or leave them whole.
- Once the tomatoes have cooked, add in the cooked pasta, pasta water, and basil and stir together. Season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Remove from the heat and serve topped with vegan parmesan. Enjoy!
Notes
- Leftovers can be stored in a closed container in the fridge for 4-5 days and in the freezer up to 1 month. Vegan parmesan is best to add right before serving.
- Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes work for this recipe.
- If you don't have shallots, replace with ½ yellow onion.
Judi says
This was so fresh and delicious. Only thing i changes was that I omitted the chili flakes and added mushrooms. I couldn’t believe how flavorsome it was with so few ingredients! Thank you, I’ll be making this again.
Ethan Palluck says
Love the recipe. The favors were awesome. Next time I will add more veggies. Thank you for another wonderful recipe.
Megan says
You're welcome- glad you loved it!
Mary says
This was absolutely delicious..adding mushrooms was the only thing I added to this recipe. Loved it!
Megan says
Sounds like such a great addition!
Lori says
Simple and delicious. My Italian immigrant husband approved. We will be making this again!
Megan says
Wow so glad you both approved! Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Keri says
Such a simple yet delicious pasta dish! We are not vegan so I used regular shredded parmesan and regular pasta. I was looking for recipes to incorporate the glorious fresh basil growing in my yard! This is most definitely going to be a regular dish that I add to my repertoire 😊 thank you!
Megan says
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Alice Greenfield says
I enjoyed this pasta. The kick from the red chili pepper was good. I added shredded gruyere cheese afterwards and Parmesan cheese. Served with garlic bread.
Sheryll says
This was my first time making pasta without a jarred sauce. It was delicious!!! Used 1/2 tsp of the red pepper flakes and it was the perfect spice level. The dish was great as is but I added cooked thinly sliced zucchini and mushrooms to the finished dish to have more veggies. Will make again. Thanks for the recipe!
Megan says
So happy you enjoyed it- and you're welcome! It really is perfect for using fresh tomatoes and all those extra veggies in Summer 🙂