Tomato Butter Pasta (with Shrimp)

We love a good tomato sauce. Fresh tomato sauce, a bright and peppery Romesco sauce, and ultra-creamy vodka sauce all have a special place at the table. But when we want something that’s deeply rich and decadent, and seriously simple to whip together, we reach for the tomato butter pasta.

While many recipes for tomato butter pasta use a pan sauce, we roast cherry tomatoes, garlic, and seasonings until everything is blistered and bursting with flavor. All that flavor gets blended into a compound butter before melting into the pasta, creating a glossy, restaurant-quality sauce with barely any effort at all.

And when you toss everything with juicy, seared shrimp, you have a filling, date-night worthy meal ready to devour.

How to make tomato butter pasta

Ingredients

Process

1. Preheat oven to 400˚F. In a mixing bowl combine tomatoes, garlic cloves, oil, tomato paste, oregano, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper and toss together. Transfer mixture to a parchment lined baking sheet.
2. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes or until the tomatoes just begin to char and have cooked down a bit. Remove from oven and allow tomatoes to cool for about 20 minutes.

3. While the tomatoes cool, fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over med-high heat. Add a small handful of salt, the pasta and boil for 7 to 9 minutes or until cooked to desired doneness. Drain and set aside.
4. Remove peels from garlic cloves and transfer tomato mixture (including peeled cloves) to a food processor with the butter, lemon zest, and a few grinds of pepper. Blend mixture until fully combined and smooth. Add salt as needed and pulse to combine.

5. Pat shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper.
6. Place a large skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 1/2 tablespoons butter. Add the shrimp and sear on each side, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to the skillet and immediately cover with a lid (to steam and finish cooking the shrimp through). After 1 to 2 minutes remove lid and transfer shrimp to a plate.

7. Wipe skillet clean with a paper towel and add 6 tablespoons of the tomato butter. Once butter has melted add pasta. Toss together until fully coated.
8. Parmesan and basil into skillet and toss together until evenly coated. Adjust seasonings as needed.

9. Top pasta with shrimp. Add more grated parmesan and basil leaves and serve.

How to choose the best cherry tomatoes for the best flavor

The ingredient list for this pasta is short, which means the quality of each ingredient matters. Cherry tomatoes are the star player, so choosing the best ones will take your sauce from good to mouth-watering. Here’s what to look for:

• Choose a deep, even color. The color should be uniformly deep red, signaling that the tomatoes are fully ripe.
• The sniff test. Because cherry tomatoes have a higher sugar content than larger varieties, they’ll smell slightly sweet when they’re ripe. If you can’t smell anything at all, that’s a sign they might also lack flavor.
• Give them a squeeze. Ripe, flavor-packed cherry tomatoes should be firm when you press on them, but give just slightly. If they’re too soft or the skin looks wrinkled, they’re past their prime. If they feel rock-hard when you gently press them, they’re most likely underripe.

Substitutions and variations for tomato butter pasta

We really love this pasta as is, but it’s very forgiving and easy to adapt, using what you have on hand or making it fit your preferences. Here are a few ideas we know will work:

• Instead of spaghetti noodles, use whatever you’d like. Other long shapes like linguine, fettuccine, or bucatini work well, or you can use a shorter shape, like rigatoni or penne.
• Swap the shrimp for another protein. Seared scallops, grilled and sliced chicken, or even salmon all go well with the tomato butter sauce. You can also make it vegetarian by using white beans or chickpeas instead.
• Add any extra veggies you have on hand to make this a true one-pot meal. Roasted zucchini, asparagus, cauliflower, or wilted greens all pair well with the rich tomato sauce.
• If you have other herbs on hand, fresh, torn parsley, thyme, or oregano could also pair well with this sauce.

Storing and reheating instructions

You can make the tomato butter up to a week ahead, making this pasta a super quick and easy dish for a weeknight. Just keep the butter in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

If you want to freeze your roasted tomato compound butter, roll the butter into a log and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then a freezer-safe bag or container. Freeze for up to three months, then let it thaw in the refrigerator before using.

To store leftovers of the tomato butter pasta with shrimp, add the cooled, finished dish to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

To reheat leftovers, we recommend using the stove for even reheating and to avoid overcooking the shrimp. Add the pasta to a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water to help loosen the sauce as it reheats. Stir frequently and remove as soon as it’s warmed through. You may want to reheat the noodles and sauce first, then add the shrimp at the very end to prevent them from becoming rubbery or overcooked.

Important tips for making tomato butter

The compound butter is really what makes this dish shine, so taking a few extra precautions while preparing it can go a long way! Here’s what to keep your eye on:

• Roast the tomatoes until they’re charred, collapsed, and blistered. A good char adds a lot of flavor, and a nice long roast concentrates all the flavor and sugars, which is exactly what we want.
• Leave the garlic in its skin when roasting instead of peeling it first. This helps the flavors become mellow and sweeter, and prevents them from burning on the pan (which will make the flavor extra bitter).
• Let the tomatoes cool before blending them to prevent the butter from fully melting. This will help get a smooth, fully emulsified compound butter.
• Make extra! Since we’re making a true compound butter, you can use leftover tomato butter to spread on roasted veggies, steaks, garlic bread, or serve on a butter board!

What to serve with tomato butter pasta

For a full, complete meal, serve this dish with some of our favorite sides:

• Garlic bread
• Caesar salad
• Italian chopped salad
• Grilled or roasted vegetables
• A simple green side salad

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