Spaghetti with small tomatoes, garlic, basil, and chiles from Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables (page 269) by Joshua McFadden and Martha Holmberg

Ingredients

dried red pepper flakes
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mixed cherry tomatoes
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Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

joeljkp on May 25, 2026

Fantastic - I used it as a destination for some old grocery store cherry tomatoes and it worked well even under those conditions.
pixy2402 on August 28, 2025

When my garden tomatoes are in season, this is on the menu once a week. The list of ingredients is simple, but the preparation (toasted garlic, adding half of the tomatoes at the end) makes it really special!
Plumberful on July 18, 2025

This dish is super simple and really delicious with fresh local little tomatoes, a mixture of little heirlooms, sungolds, and grape tomatoes. I like to use bucatini to slurp up all of the sauciness.
metacritic on August 10, 2022

Holy moly this is an unusually great rendition of this dish.It rivals a similar dish in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat that relies on confited cherry tomatoes. I don't know which is easier (or better) but this one is quicker to be sure. I love this dish -- and it is beautiful, too. Will make again without a doubt.
allisonsemele on September 18, 2021

The whole cherry tomatoes are pretty, but are kind of annoying to eat. If I remade this, I would slice them in half. This tasted nice, but doesn’t compete with my favorite cherry tomato sauce, which is even easier.
Jane on September 10, 2021

A lovely late-summer supper, using very ripe Sun Golds from my CSA and some grocery store red cherry toms. I loved the combination of the garlicky cooked down tomatoes and basil with the just warmed through additions at the end. I didn't add breadcrumbs, just Parm. Definitely a repeat.
TrishaCP on August 06, 2021

Another fan here. I agree that my garlic took quite a while to soften- probably double the time specified by the recipe. I used whole wheat spaghetti and I thought the flavors of the sauce (especially the dried red pepper flakes) worked well here.
etcjm on January 03, 2021

Lovely and rich from so few ingredients and so little work. I admit to using off season tomatoes but with the normally expensive out of reach tomatoes reduced to 10p a pack, I picked up plenty to try some new recipes. I used 3 garlic cloves and next time will make sure I have masses of basil and try the breadcrumbs. I would put more chilli in, I was over cautious and they didn't come through with the acidity of the tomatoes. Winner.
bernalgirl on September 01, 2020

Great summer recipe, so easy and requires no chopping as noted, although I prefer to halve the second batch of cherry tomatoes.
Barb_N on August 27, 2019

Another voice in the chorus- this is very tasty. My garlic was a bit dry so it almost burned and didn't melt into the sauce. Easy weeknight meal with more complexity than a typical fresh tomato sauce. I topped it with torn croutons instead of breadcrumbs.
joanhuguet on August 20, 2019

This is so incredibly good, many steps beyond any other pasta with fresh tomatoes that I’ve ever made. Using the tomatoes and the basil both cooked and raw gives this such depth of flavor.
Lepa on August 30, 2018

This is luscious and worth the hype. I was concerned that my garlic would burn and am tempted to cook it a bit less before adding the first batch of tomatoes next time. Everyone in my family loved this and the recipe barely made enough for the four of us but I suspect it wouldn't scale up well.
anya_sf on August 30, 2018

Very tasty when made with peak-season cherry tomatoes. I omitted the red pepper flakes as my son doesn't like them. Skipped the breadcrumbs and served with whipped ricotta on top, which made the sauce deliciously creamy.
Macnclaire on August 29, 2018

Using peak season heirloom tomatoes this was pasta perfection for this house. I ate the leftovers the following day and was just as happy!
SheilaS on July 21, 2018

In this recipe, the garlic, half of the tomatoes and basil get cooked down into a sauce while the rest are added to the pan as the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce so you get both cooked and fresh flavors. I can't say it's head and shoulders better than other versions of I've made but it was quick, easy and very good.
Frenchfoodie on July 18, 2018

Just lovely, a mix of supermarket and farmers market cherry toms gave a nice variety of tomato flavours from jammy and mellow to bright acidity. My garlic took ages to soften though - probably the slowest part of the recipe!
patioweather on July 03, 2018

Requires no chopping!