Angel Hair Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes is a comforting pasta dish that’s literally bursting with fresh flavor. Capellini pasta is accompanied with juicy blistered cherry tomatoes, onions, garlic, and a medley of bold seasonings. Creamy Boursin cheese holds it all together!
Enjoy more of my favorite summer-ready pasta recipes like Sun Dried Tomato and Spinach Orzo, Tomato Basil Pasta and One Pot Pasta Primavera.
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Angel Hair Pasta is one of my absolute favorite pasta dinners, especially during the spring and summer seasons! It’s comforting but filled with fresh flavors that won’t weigh you down when the weather’s hot.
The blistered tomatoes are so juicy and really seal the deal on that fresh flavor. Accompanying the tomatoes are garlic, onions, and bold seasonings! Boursin cheese is mixed with pasta water to act as the very best simple sauce.
While this capellini pasta is a little more impressive than your usual spaghetti with marinara, have no fear! It’s also delightfully easy to toss together in just 30 minutes with budget-friendly ingredients and simple steps.
Why we love this Angel Hair Pasta:
- Simple: You won’t find any crazy steps or unnecessary frills here. Just classic ingredients, simple steps and delicious results in just 30 minutes!
- Easy to adjust: Make it more or less spicy, garlicky, salty, etc. You can customize this angel hair pasta recipe with ease.
- Summery: Comforting and freshly flavored – the best of both worlds! This is a great summertime dinner recipe for when you need something to hit the spot without weighing you down.
Angel Hair Pasta Ingredients Needed:
- Tomatoes – You can cook them until they just begin to blister or cook them until completely soft and puree them. The choice is yours! (Got extra tomatoes? Try this Roasted Tomato Sauce next!)
- Angel Hair Pasta – This is also referred to as capellini. However, really any type of pasta will work well in this versatile recipe! If you do use angel hair pasta, be careful not to overcook it! It only needs a few minutes.
- Boursin – Feel free to swap this with cream cheese if needed. Boursin is flavored, so to enhance the cream cheese just stir in some basil pesto or fresh herbs.
- Garlic – If you’re a big garlic lover you can always toss in more than what the recipe calls for! Just note that garlic is pretty potent and can overpower the other ingredients.
- Olive Oil – Avocado oil also works well.
- Onion – For the best flavor, use a white or yellow onion.
- Seasonings – Salt, dried basil and red pepper flakes are all you’ll need to create the very best flavor.
How to make Angel Hair Pasta with Blistered Tomatoes
For more detailed ingredients and step by step instructions, just scroll down to the recipe card!
- Add oil to a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and onions. Cook until the tomatoes are blistered and the onions are golden.
- Stir in the garlic, herbs and red pepper flakes. Cook for 1 more minute. Gently press down with your spatula on the blistered tomatoes so they release their juices.
- Cook the angel hair pasta in a pot of boiling salted water. Be very careful not to overcook it! Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining the rest.
- Whisk together the boursin cheese and reserved pasta water to create the sauce. Toss the cooked pasta and boursin sauce together. Top with the tomato mixture and enjoy!
Variations and Substitutions
- Make it spicy: As it is, there are just enough red pepper flakes in the mix to create a little more flavor. Feel free to add more to heat things up!
- Swap the boursin: If you can’t find it at the grocery store, feel free to grab some cream cheese instead. If using cream cheese, I recommend mixing in some herbs or basil pesto to create more flavor.
- Add parmesan cheese: Some freshly grated parmesan should be sprinkled onto just about every plate of pasta, right?
How to store Angel Hair Pasta
Once cooled to room temperature, you can store angel hair pasta with blistered tomatoes in an airtight container in the fridge for about 2-3 days. Keep in mind that the sauce may dry out just a little bit when reheating, so I like to add a splash of broth or water when warming.
Can I freeze angel hair pasta?
Yes! However, because angel hair is so fine, I find that it does soften and get mushy more quickly than other types so it is not my favorite variety for freezing.
Let the pasta dish cool fully to room temperature prior to storing in a freezer safe container. Date, label, and store for up to 3 months. I recommend letting it defrost in the fridge prior to reheating for the best results.
Serving suggestions:
Serve this capellini recipe with any of these proteins to really fill up your plate!
- Juicy Baked Chicken Breast — so full of flavor!
- Easy Air Fryer Salmon — for a light and healthy summer meal.
- Air Fryer Steak — the easiest way to do steak!
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love!
- Three Cheese Gnocchi Bake — total comfort food!
- Ditalini Pasta with Bacon and Peas — simple and tasty.
- Creamy Gemelli Pasta — this one comes together SO quickly!
- Orecchiette Pasta with Sausage — a reader favorite!
Angel Hair Pasta with Tomatoes
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups cherry or grape tomatoes
- ¼ cup finely diced onion
- 3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 350 grams angel hair pasta or capellini (about ¾ lb)
- 1 package garlic and herb Boursin or cream cheese (about 150 grams or 5 ounces)
- reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add oil.
- Add tomatoes and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes are blistered and onion is golden.
- Stir in garlic, basil and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute. Use the back of a spatula to smash the tomatoes slightly so they release their juices. Set aside and keep warm.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the angel hair pasta. When the water returns to a boil, reduce heat to medium-high and cook, stirring often, until al dente, about 3 minutes (it gets soft quickly — don't overcook!)
- When the pasta is cooked to al dente, reserve 1 cup pasta water and drain the rest.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together ¼ cup pasta water and the Boursin until smooth.
- Add to pasta and toss gently with tongs, adding pasta water as needed until the angel hair is lightly coated.
- Serve with the tomatoes over top, with additional salt, freshly cracked pepper and Parmesan as desired.
Notes
- Tomatoes: feel free to cook your tomatoes as much or as little as you like. You can cook until they are completely soft and even puree them, or you can cook until just beginning to blister and leave them whole.
- Angel Hair Pasta (Capellini): any cut of pasta will work in this recipe since we are boiling it to al dente. It’s important not to overcook the angel hair pasta as it softens very quickly! It’s also important not to overwork it when adding the sauce, which is why I prefer to serve the tomatoes on top.
- Boursin: boursin makes a flavorful pasta sauce very easily, but you can also use some plain cream cheese and add in basil pesto or dried or fresh herbs.
Nutrition Information
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Bethany says
In the list of ingredients it says dried basil yet in the instructions/recipe it says oregano…which is it…
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Bethany, you really can’t go wrong with either but it is basil.