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Pasta with Sun Gold Tomatoes is a beautiful, light, fresh and summery yellow tomato sauce that just screams summer! Sweet, golden, cherry tomatoes are quickly sautéed in olive oil and butter with garlic, then finished with your favorite pasta and lots of fresh basil and Pecorino Romano cheese. A delicious summer weeknight favorite!
I’ve been growing yellow Sun Gold tomatoes in my home garden for three summers now, and they never fail to be one of the most vivacious and productive (and definitely the largest) plants of the whole lot! Prior to this, I had never actually heard of or tasted sungolds but was hooked the second I tasted them.
And, as sun gold cherry tomatoes tend to be a very popular choice for home gardeners around the country, I was inspired to share this recipe for those of us that have SO MANY of them that we need another outlet besides our everyday tomato cucumber salad.
What are Sun Gold Tomatoes?
Sun Gold tomatoes are a variety of cherry tomato with thin, golden-orange yellow skin and juicy flesh and are known for their exceptionally sweet flavor with a hint of citrus that is almost candy-like. Its taste is also a bit tart, with an initial slightly sour taste that quickly transitions to a very unique sweet flavor.
Because of this incredible sweetness, a bit of white wine vinegar is added to the sauce to balance out its flavor–a key ingredient in this recipe! And, this recipe is super flexible in that you have the choice of either leaving it chunky or pureeing it for a silkier finish.
Either way, this pasta is full of fresh, bright flavor and is incredibly simple and quick to pull together in about thirty minutes. It’s perfect with your backyard garden’s yellow cherry tomato harvest or local farmstand stash.
But feel free to make this dish year-round with your favorite mini-tomato for an instant touch of summer. Mangia bene!
More recipe with fresh tomatoes: Tuscan Panzanella Salad, Confit Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic, Fresh Tomato Vodka Sauce, Classic Tomato Bruschetta, Bruschetta Caprese, Pasta with Raw Tomato Sauce, Tomato Basil Pasta Salad
Main Ingredient Notes
- Tomatoes: This recipe was created around the exceptionally sweet and flavorful yellow Sun Gold tomatoes that so many of us have growing in our summer gardens. They’re also generally in abbondanza at farm stands and markets in the summer. Having said this, this recipe’s technique will work perfectly with red cherry tomatoes as well, with a different flavor.
- For a similar pasta recipe made with grape tomatoes, check out this Grape Tomato Sauce recipe.
- Fresh Basil: A key ingredient in this dish! Use lots of it, both during the sautéing step and folded into the finished pasta.
- Garlic: No explanation necessary! Other than to say, chopped, minced or thinly sliced all work well – just depends on what you feel like doing! And, feel free to add more or use less based on your personal preference.
- White Wine Vinegar: Sungold tomatoes are VERY sweet, so this sauce really needs some acid in the form of white wine vinegar or dry white wine to balance out the flavor.
- Olive Oil and Butter: Used to sauté the garlic and tomatoes. Also, use a really good, extra-virgin olive oil that adds a complementary flavor to the dish, be it fruity, peppery or grassy to finish the pasta.
- Pasta: I used spaghetti here, but this recipe works really well with all types of long and short pasta shapes.
- Pecorino Romano Cheese: Adds sharpness and saltiness to the sweet yellow cherry tomato pasta–in a really, really good way!
How to Make Pasta with Sun Gold Tomatoes
- Prep and gather ingredients. Chop garlic and basil. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
- Combine olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until lightly golden.
- Then, add the tomatoes, basil and white wine vinegar to pan and mix well. Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes break down a bit and you can easily mash the tomatoes with a fork. Stir in salt and black pepper.
Pro-Tip
Sun Gold tomatoes are VERY sweet, so this sauce really needs some acid in the form of white wine vinegar or dry white wine to balance out the flavor.
- At this point, you can either continue cooking until all the tomatoes have burst, helping them along by mashing them with either a fork or potato masher, and leave the sauce thinner and chunkier.
- Or, you can puree the sauce to make it smooth, creamier and thicker, as I have done here. To do this, I transferred all the sauce ingredients to a saucepan with high sides and used an immersion blender off the heat to puree until smooth. You can also transfer the sauce to a blender to puree. But as the sauce is very hot. You may need to let it cool a bit before doing this.
- If you’ve pureed the sauce, transfer it back to the skillet and then taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Hold the sauce on low heat until the pasta is ready.
- Meanwhile, once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently. Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, or about 2 minutes before you think it is al dente. Be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.
- Then, increase the sauce to medium heat and transfer pasta to the sauce along with about ½ cup of the starchy pasta water (to start). Stir well to fully combine all ingredients and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce and absorb all of those wonderful flavors! Add the additional pasta water if more moisture is needed.
- When the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat, then fold in the pecorino cheese and remaining basil. Finish the yellow cherry tomato recipe with a healthy drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. That’s it!
Pro-Tip
Turn the heat off before adding the grated cheese. Toss the cheese into the pasta very well and vigorously so that the cheese emulsifies into the sauce. If you don’t have any pecorino cheese, just replace it with parmigiana or Grana Padano.
More Summer Pasta Favorites
- Spaghetti and Crabs
- Pasta Sorrentina with Tomatoes, Basil and Fresh Mozzarella
- Ricotta Pasta with Eggplant and Tomatoes
- Classic Pesto Genovese with Pasta, Green Beans and Potatoes
- Linguine with Red Clam Sauce
- Pesto Ricotta Pasta (No-Cook Sauce)
- Creamy Zucchini Pasta
- Sicilian Pasta alla Norma
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, for sure. I detail in the recipe below that you can either leave the sauce chunkier and thinner or puree it with either a hand-held immersion blender or regular blender for a smoother, creamier and thicker sauce. Either way works well!
They are different varieties of tomatoes with similar flavor and texture profiles. Grape tomatoes tend to be a little bit meatier than cherry tomatoes, while cherry tomatoes tend to be a little bit larger than grape tomatoes.
Yellow Sun Gold tomatoes, on the other hand, have a very unique, intensely sweet flavor profile that is different from your traditional red cherry, grape or pear tomato. Their texture is basically the same as red mini tomatoes, though a bit juicier. So, understanding that the flavor profile will be different, you can generally use yellow sungold tomatoes in most recipes that call for cherry tomatoes.
Absolutely! The taste will be a bit different, but this technique will work perfectly with red cherry tomatoes.
For a similar pasta recipe made with grape tomatoes, check out this Grape Tomato Sauce recipe.
Substitutions and Variations
- Cheese: If you don’t have any pecorino cheese, just replace it with either Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.
- Make it Creamier and richer by adding ½-¾ cup heavy cream to the sauce after pureeing or smashing and simmering a few minutes until it thickens.
- Add a Protein: Italian sausage, shrimp and crispy prosciutto are all great options.
- Brown 1 pound Italian sausage (out of its casing), breaking it up into small chunks. Then remove from pan and proceed with recipe, adding sausage back to sauce to reheat just before pasta is added.
- Sear both sides of peeled and cleaned, seasoned shrimp in olive oil and/or butter, then remove and add back to the sauce to reheat 1 to 2 minutes before adding pasta.
- Add Some Heat! Increase the red pepper flakes (crushed red pepper) when sautéing the garlic or add in a bit of Calabrian chili paste.
- No Sun Gold Tomatoes? This yellow tomato sauce recipe and technique will 100% work with any mini-tomato, such as red or yellow cherry, grape and pear tomatoes, with respective flavor differences.
TOP TIPS for Pasta with Sun Gold Tomatoes
- Pasta Water: The pasta water is key! Add it to the sun gold tomato pasta and sauce to create a creamy sauce.
- Don’t Skip the Acid! Sungold tomatoes are VERY sweet, so this sauce really needs some acid in the form of white wine vinegar or dry white wine to balance out the flavor.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat them, covered, in a small skillet over medium low heat with a little bit of water until heated through.
- Make More Sauce! Feel free to double or even trip the sauce portion of the recipe and freeze the extra to use down the road.
- Serving Suggestions: This is a hearty enough pasta to be a main course for sure. But, in small portions, it can be a starter or primi piatto served with chicken cutlets, eggplant polpette, Italian sausage or Sunday meatballs.
Pasta with Sun Gold Tomatoes ~ Yellow Tomato Sauce
Equipment
- Immersion Blender or blender (optional)
- Potato Masher (optional)
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, + more for finishing
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 2 heaping Tbsp chopped or thinly sliced garlic
- Pinch crushed red pepper
- 1¾-2 pounds yellow sun gold tomatoes , (about 2½ pints)
- 1 large handful fresh basil, stemmed and chopped or hand-torn, divided
- 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar, or ¼ cup dry white wine
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 pound pasta, + salt for pasta water
- ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese , + more for serving
Instructions
- Prep and gather all ingredients according to specifications above. Put a large pot of water on to boil.(Please see the section above in the blog post for Step-By-Step instructions with photos.)
- Combine the olive oil and butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium low heat.Once the butter has melted, add the garlic and crushed red pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until lightly golden.2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 Tbsp butter, 2 heaping Tbsp chopped or thinly sliced garlic, Pinch crushed red pepper
- Then, add the tomatoes, about ½ the basil, and white wine vinegar or white wine to pan and mix well.Cover and cook about 5 minutes or until the tomatoes break down a bit and you can easily mash the tomatoes with a fork. Stir in salt and black pepper.1¾-2 pounds yellow sun gold tomatoes, 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper
- At this point, you can either continue cooking until all the tomatoes have burst, helping them along by mashing them with either a fork or potato masher, and leave the sauce thinner and chunkier.Or, you can puree the sauce to make it smooth, creamier and thicker, as I have done here. To do this, I transferred all the sauce ingredients to a saucepan with high sides and used an immersion blender off the heat to puree until smooth. You can also transfer the sauce to a blender to puree. But as the sauce is very hot. You may need to let it cool a bit before doing this.You may see some lingering tomato skins after pureeing (especially if you used an immersion blender). The skins are tender and totally okay to eat! (But, feel free to strain the sauce if you do not want any tomato skins.)
- If you’ve pureed the sauce, transfer it back to the skillet and then taste and adjust seasonings if necessary. Hold the sauce on low heat until the pasta is ready.
- Meanwhile, once the water comes to a boil, add salt, then the pasta, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions, or about 2 minutes before you think it is al dente. (Be sure to reserve at least 1 cup of the starchy pasta water.)1 pound pasta
- Then, increase the sauce to medium heat and transfer pasta to the sauce along with about ½ cup of the starchy pasta water (to start). Stir well to fully combine all ingredients and let the pasta finish cooking in the sauce and absorb all of those wonderful flavors! Add the additional pasta water if more moisture is needed.
- When the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat, then fold in the pecorino cheese and remaining basil. Finish with a healthy drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
- Serve with additional grated pecorino on the side. Buon Appetito!
Video
Notes
- Don’t Skip the Acid! Sun gold tomatoes are VERY sweet, so this sauce really needs some acid in the form of white wine vinegar or dry white wine to balance out the flavor.
- The pasta water is key! Add it to the sauce along with the pasta for the additional moisture needed to finish cooking the pasta.
- Turn the heat off before adding the grated cheese. Toss the cheese into the pasta very well and vigorously so that the cheese emulsifies into the sauce. If you don’t have any pecorino cheese, just replace it with parmigiana or Grana Padano.
- Don’t forget to drizzle the finished dish with some high quality extra-virgin olive oil for an additional hit of flavor and richness.
- I used spaghetti here, but this recipe will work with all varieties of both short and long pasta.
- Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Reheat them, covered, in a small skillet over medium low heat with a little bit of water until heated through.
- Feel free to double or even trip the sauce portion of the recipe and freeze the extra to use down the road.
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My most requested pasta of the summer garden season so far! Both beautiful and delicious, not to mention super quick and easy.