6-Ingredient Angel Hair Tomato Pasta

This angel hair tomato pasta needs six ingredients: angel hair, cherry tomatoes, extra-virgin olive oil, garlic, fresh basil, and Parmesan. Salt and black pepper are the only other things in it, and we don’t count them, or the pasta cooking water, in the six. Sliced garlic warms gently in the oil, the tomatoes cook until about half of them burst into a light, juicy sauce, and the thin pasta is tossed through it off the heat. It’s ready in about 30 minutes and serves 4.

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A Light Sauce Made in the Pan

There’s no jarred marinara, cream, butter, or meat here, and that’s the point. The sauce is just tomatoes collapsing in garlicky olive oil, thickened with a splash of starchy pasta water and a little Parmesan. Angel hair suits it because the strands are so fine that a light, loose sauce coats them without weighing them down. It’s a different dish from our shrimp scampi with angel hair, which uses the same pasta with a lemon, butter, and wine sauce. This one is all about the tomatoes, so it’s at its best in summer, though good cherry or grape tomatoes are sold year-round.

Ingredient Notes

Exact quantities are in the recipe card. With so few ingredients, each one matters.

• Cherry tomatoes: Two pounds is about three pints. That may look like a lot for 12 ounces of pasta, but they cook down by about half and become the whole sauce. Grape tomatoes work too; they’re firmer and take a minute or two longer to burst.
• Extra-virgin olive oil: A quarter cup sounds generous, but it’s the fat that carries the garlic flavor and emulsifies with the tomato juice and pasta water into a sauce. Use one you’d happily taste on its own.
• Garlic: Slice it thin rather than mincing it. Slices soften and sweeten in warm oil, while minced garlic browns and turns bitter in seconds.
• Basil: Tear or slice it right before it goes in, so the cut edges don’t darken.
• Parmesan: Grate it finely from a wedge so it melts into the sauce instead of clumping.
• Angel hair: Also called capellini. It cooks in 2 to 4 minutes depending on the brand, and it goes from right to mushy fast, so set a timer.

How to Make Angel Hair Tomato Pasta

1. Warm the garlic gently

Put a large pot of well-salted water on to boil. In a 12-inch skillet, warm the oil and garlic together over medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes, until the slices are soft, fragrant, and only just turning pale gold at the edges. Starting the garlic in cool oil gives you more control. If it browns, it turns bitter, and with so few ingredients there’s nothing to hide it.

2. Cook the tomatoes until about half burst

Add the tomatoes and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, raise the heat to medium, and cook, stirring now and then, for 7 to 9 minutes. As they soften, press some of them with the back of a spoon. You want about half of them collapsed into a juicy sauce and the rest still mostly whole. If the pan looks dry, lower the heat; if it’s very wet, let it bubble a minute longer.

3. Time the pasta so it finishes with the tomatoes

When the tomatoes have about 3 minutes left, add the angel hair to the boiling water and stir right away so the strands don’t clump. Cook it 1 minute less than the package says, usually 2 to 3 minutes. Scoop out 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain.

4. Toss off the heat

Take the skillet off the heat and add the pasta with about 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Toss with tongs for about a minute, until the tomato juices, oil, and starchy water turn into a light sauce that coats the strands. Add the Parmesan and basil and toss again, adding more water a splash at a time if it looks dry. Season with black pepper and more salt if needed, and serve right away.

Tips for Success

• Bitter garlic: The oil was too hot. Start the garlic in cool oil over medium-low heat and pull it before it turns golden brown.
• Watery sauce: The tomatoes didn’t cook long enough to concentrate. Give them another minute or two before the pasta goes in.
• Clumped, sticky pasta: Angel hair waited in the colander or overcooked. Drain it at the last moment and toss it immediately.
• Clumpy cheese: The pan was still on the burner. Toss the Parmesan in off the heat.

Substitutions

• Pasta: Thin spaghetti or spaghettini works the same way. Cook it 1 minute short of the package time.
• Cheese: Pecorino Romano is saltier and sharper; use a little less and taste before adding salt.
• Heat: If you like some heat, a pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic is a good addition, but then it’s a seven-ingredient pasta.
• Vegetarian cheese: Parmigiano Reggiano is made with animal rennet. Use a hard cheese labeled vegetarian if that matters to you.

What to Serve with It

Serve it as a light main with a green salad and crusty bread for the juices, or as a side for grilled chicken or fish. For a more filling pasta night, try our creamy pumpkin gnocchi, and browse more in our dinner recipes.

Make Ahead

Angel hair has to be cooked and tossed right before serving. You can halve the tomatoes and slice the garlic up to a day ahead and refrigerate them in separate covered containers. Let the tomatoes come to room temperature before cooking.

Storage, Reheating, and Freezing

• Refrigerate: Leftovers keep in a covered container for up to 3 days. Refrigerate within 2 hours of cooking.
• Reheat: Warm in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water, tossing until hot, or microwave covered with a splash of water. The thin strands will be softer than when fresh.
• Freeze: Not recommended. The pasta turns mushy and the tomatoes weep when they thaw.

Angel Hair Tomato Pasta FAQ

Is it really six ingredients?

Yes: angel hair, cherry tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, basil, and Parmesan. Like most ingredient-count recipes, we don’t count salt, black pepper, or the water the pasta cooks in.

Can I use regular tomatoes?

Ripe plum tomatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, work in summer. Out of season, cherry or grape tomatoes taste better than large ones.

Why toss the pasta off the heat?

The sauce is light and the pasta is delicate. The heat left in the skillet is enough to bring everything together; keeping it on the burner overcooks the strands and makes the Parmesan clump.

Recipe Card