This is a great pasta that can be eaten at room temperature or as a cold salad. Instant, sophisticated meal or side dish! And colorful, too. Any type of twisty or unusually shaped pasta works well.

Easy Olive Oil, Tomato, and Basil Pasta

(16 ounce) package farfalle pasta

roma (plum) tomatoes,

olive oil

garlic,

basil leaves,

salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.


In a large bowl, gently toss the cooked pasta, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and basil. Season with salt and pepper.


I've been making this one for quite awhile with two ingredient additions--mozzarella &amp; a dash of cayenne pepper.  I keep the rest of the ingredients the same, but I do change the method!  In a large bowl, I mix the olive oil with the minced garlic, salt, and a dash of cayenne pepper, and mash them altogether to infuse the OO with flavor.  I soak the roma tomatoes (2-3x more than recipe calls for) in the OO mixture since the tomatoes hold more flavor than any other ingredient.  I then add cubed mozzarella and the cooked bowtie pasta, mix it altogether, THEN scoop out 1-2cups at a time and saute it in a skillet over high heat until the mozzarella is bubbly and going brown, adding the basil at the end so it doesn't get brittle and overcooked.  And I plate it.  DELISH!  Helped me woo my husband when we were dating; he still remembers this simple dish as one of his faves that I make. ;-)  Thanks, CookinGirl!

Definitely easy and always delicious! Tomato and basil are a classic combination and when they pair with pasta it's bound to be good. I cut the recipe in half and used more tomatoes, a bit less olive oil, and added 1/4 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes. I topped it with shredded Parmesan before serving. This is a very versatile recipe that you can suite to your own tastes - use your favorite pasta, add a splash or red wine vinegar or balsamic, throw in some capers, feta cheese, mozzarella or Parmesan. No matter what you do it's gonna be tasty. Overall, a great recipe!

I enjoy making this pasta dish often. I added more tomatoes, some crumbled (plain) feta cheese and toasted pine nuts. Yum!

As an Italian gal lucky enough to grow up with great Italian food, this is classic Italian cooking at it's simplest and best, and I'm so glad it's been submitted in recipe form so even those not familiar with it will give it a try. Simple preparation with fresh, in season tomatoes and basil, it's as good as a quick, satisfying meal as it is a pretty and flavorful side dish. No changes or additions are necessary, though unlike hubby I like freshly grated Parmesan on mine!

Excellent.  I happen to have (fresh from the farm) Roma tomatoes and basil so I had to make this.  Of course I added extra tomatoes, basil and garlic and used less olive oil...also added parm cheese...what a treat.

Wow!!! Awesome!!! LOVED IT! I am hoping to make this one again VERY SOON! Also, I used a can of diced tomatoes instead of chopping tomatoes, and instead of fresh basil, I used one-eighth of a cup (2 tablespoons) of dried basil. Delicious! THANKS!

This recipe was pretty good and perfect for a quick last-minute meal.  I think it would have been better with more tomatoes.

Something new and different from the pasta salad I usually make.  I put some parmesan on it which was very good, if I make it again I'll add olives.

This really hit the spot!  This is an awesome EASY vegan recipe.  I made these modifications...mixed tomato, 4 garlic cloves minced, chopped basil and olive oil 2 hours in advance and let it sit out to room temperature, sauted a chopped onion in olive oil until soft.  Added the tomato mixture to the onion for about 2 minutes just to warm it.  Tossed with pasta and 1/2 small can of diced olives (like the picture).  Salt, pepper, done! It was delicious!

My family absolutely loved this dish!!! My 2 year old son is gluten intolerant and I made this dish with gluten-free Tinkyada pasta for our whole family. For once, I didn't have to cook 2 separate dinners which was ABSOLUTELY wonderful. The pasta was very tasty. I actually prepared Gingered Chicken Breast (also on the AllRecipes site) and cut that up and added it and grilled veggies to the pasta to make a complete meal. It was so good. I'll be making this again for sure!

This has become a new hit @ the Fire Station dinner table.  I use a lot more minced garlic (6-8 cloves) and have added sliced portobello mushrooms that I saute in a little olive oil with sliced prosciutto and some diced pepperoni.  Like some of the other reviewers, I reserve the sliced basil for the very end and stir it in after tossing the rest of the ingredients in to a cast iron skillet on high heat to melt the mozzarella.  Sprinkled crushed red or some Sriracha add some heat if you like it spicy.

A keeper! The variations you could make on this seem endless, and I had all the ingredients on hand. I made some modifications: spaghetti noodles; instead of roma tomato, package of crushed tomato; doubled the garlic and sauteed the garlic along with some onion in the olive oil before simmering with the crushed tomato, and added the fresh basil at the end. I sliced some mild cheese on top of the pasta before adding the warm sauce on top. Delicious!

here's a tip i got from foodnetwork: marinate the tomatoes in the basil, garlic, and olive oil, along with balsamic vinegar and fresh mozzarella at room temperature for a couple hours. this really gives the tomatoes powerful flavor!

This was awesome.  Easy to make, but really fresh and delicious taste.  We cut up 3 string cheeses into cubes and tossed them in and that was great.  It added a little something gooey and it was so yummy!

Quick easy tasty dinner. I added a generous amount of Parmesan cheese, half a lemon, double the tomatoes &amp; basil. Made with whole wheat penne pasta.

awesome recipe -- easy to make and very little cleanup!  i added some chunks of mozzarella to it and it was delicious!

This was definitely easy, but I could have done with more tomatoes. I only used 13 oz. of whole wheat rotini, and even then the tomatoes didn't quite seem to be enough, so I added some green pepper. I didn't have fresh basil, so I did dried basil with some additional Italian seasoning. I topped it all with some parmesan cheese, and it was very tasty. I'm sure it's even better with the fresh herbs.

This is an example of a perfect recipe.  Not chocked full of ingredients, simple, delicious, beautiful to serve (the farfalle pasta contributes substantially to the eye appeal), and with a touch of sophistication.  I was rushing today, so I forgot the garlic, but the taste was still fabulous.  Sliced mushrooms were on sale for .99 per carton, so I sauteed the mushrooms in olive oil and mixed it with everything else.  I also used 4 tomatoes and 1 cup of olive oil (though 3/4 cup would probably have been fine).  Great stuff--and so easy.

Kind of bland. Used garlic and olive oil couscous and extra artichoke marinade.

This is a lovely and inexpensive recipe. I serve this to my kids with warm garlic bread, a green salad and dark purple grape juice (in wine glasses) for our "Italian meal". :) Any shape of pasta will work. I always add extra garlic. Use good quality, cold pressed olive oil (the really dark green stuff) for the best taste. We also add some of the sundried tomatoes packed in olive oil for extra flavour and a sprinkle of good parmesan and dried red chiles on top. Flavour is better the next day. We fight over the leftovers. Thanks for a great recipe!

It was good, but then we added parmesan cheese and it was great! 4 1/2 stars

I used five tomatoes and added cube mozzarella, sated, and topped with parmesan. Yum.

this was simply not good.  My husband thought it had no flavor and only ate it cause he was hungry.  I ended up putting terriyaki sauce on it and nuking it the next day

Excellent recipe!!!  I simmered the olive oil, garlic, fresh basil, tomatoes and added zucchini.  I also cooked some hot Italian turkey sausages, sliced and added them to the sauce.  This was delicious.  I used 4 romas but will probably use even more next time!!!

Such great flavor!  I cooked the garlic in a bit of olive oil before mixing in with the pasta.

I must have Italian in my blood; there's nothing better than the taste of pasta with tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, and basil.  

I used 4 roma tomatoes and made some lean turkey meatballs for some protein and topped with some shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Add a glass of red wine, along with some good company, and all is good!

I use this along with a "grilled marinated shrimp" recipe (also on this site). The two recipes compliment each other well. I add additional ingredients if I have them on hand, but just as written is great.

This is truly an easy dish but I add to add more tomatoes and also added chiles since I love spicy and it turned out great. But next time I would also add olives.

I had to find recipes that were vegan friendly for some friends that were coming over for dinner. Used this recipe for three occasions now and its always a fresh summer (cheap)hit.

Delicious! The only thing I changed was cutting the oil in half. It was plenty. My guest and I loved it.

our favorite pasta dish, hot or cold.  to make it simple and easily available, i used minced dried garlin and dried basil.  i toss it in a small bowl with FOUR roma tomatoes and plenty of EVOO, and i probably add about triple the dried equivalents for the fresh ingredients for both the garlic and basil, and add course sea salt and cayenne for a little heat.  i place the bowl on a burner on very low heat to lock in the flavor in the oil while the pasta boils.  even my 18 month old will not touch pasta sauce after having this version.  love it!!!

I've been making this for awhile now; I use penne pasta and more tomatoes and garlic.

Ughh!! This is like the opposite of a sunny tummy. I attempted this for dinner, I couldn't even eat the 6th spoonful before I deserted the meal.  Definite improvements: More oil-less pasta, triple the tomatoes and add some sort of seasoning (add the watery part of the tomatoe, it helps)  OK, here's I know I'm being harsh but you would understand when you saw I dumped a can of Progresso's Italian meatball on the finished product, Yuck!

I really liked this dish, but for my husband he needed something more.  I think next time I am going to add some italian sausage to it.

This was really good. The only problem I had was mincing the garlic. I guess I'll have to practice that, or just used pre-minced garlic or garlic powder next time. I also added red, green, and yellow peppers, along with cucumber.

Simple, and great dish.. Best with fresh tomatoes and Basil..

Quick &amp; easy and wonderful flavors. Reminds me of a dish I always order at a local restaurant--glad I can now re-create it at home.

Great, easy, fast recipe!  I added fresh Mozzarella and mixed fresh &amp; diced tomatos.  Worked great!

This recipie is absolutly divine and i would recomend it to any viewers. Also it gave me and my husband a satisfied hunger.


This was really good. I made it with sun dried tomatoes instead and added italian sausage and onion. I also heated it on the skillet after soaking it in the sauce and added a little bit of white cheddar cheese. I used my left over spaghetti noodles and it worked just fine. My husband loved it so much he had two helpings.

This was simple and really yummy. I did it over cheese tortellini and left out the tomatoes (my boyfriend isn't a fan of veggies) I didn't have fresh basil so I used the basil I did have from my herb collection and I felt like the recipe turned out great :) Will definitely make this again. 

Excellent! We (my family) love it. I just used spaghetti noodles (mixed whole wheat and spinach noodles), and we added some parmesan. Yummy!!!

Amazing!  I used canned diced tomatoes and dried basil and still genius !!!  I did add some parmasean cheese to spice it up a little but altogether wonderful recipe! Thanks CookinGirl:)

this was so much better than i expected it to be! i used canned tomatoes and dried basil, which wasn't bad at all. i'm excited to try it fresh.

I followed the recipe exactly and found the recipe to be overwhelmed by olive oil and pasta, so I added a few things: extra garlic, one extra tomato, a half bunch of sauteed asparagus, and some balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. This made it much better and more satisfying as a main dish. Next time I will make these same changes, but also reducing the olive oil to perhaps 3/4 cup and adding some raw red bell pepper.

This was just ok. I used less pasta and more tomatoes than the recipe called for, and it still seemed heavy on the pasta.

It's always nice to be reminded that sometimes the best recipes are the simple ones. Such a great stand by, and so easy to adapt (add cheese, different style pasta, etc.).

I love the simplicity of this dish, plus it was really good.  My mother-in-law, who doesn't like to try new foods, really liked this in spite of the fact that it wasn't cooked (which is one reason I like it).

I have used this as a base several times and it has always passed the taste test!  I usually add 3-4 tomatoes and 3 cloves of garlic. Great with zucchini, spinach, onions, mushrooms, etc. A teaspoon of crushed red pepper tastes great too.

This was just 'ok' for me.  Followed the directions exactly.  It needed something, I am just not sure what.

I took this recipe and decided to make a few changes. I saute the garlic in 1/4 cup olive oil, add the chopped tomato and fresh chopped basil and dash of salt &amp; pepper, cook for 5-10 more minutes and toss with 16 oz. of cooked bow tie pasta. Serve with toasted pine nuts and parmesan cheese YUM this is one of my favorite recipes to eat now!

Wow, this is really good.  I love the test.  I added mozzarella cheese, and I used garlic powder instead of fresh  garlic.  I also sauted it a little to melt the cheese.  Definitely will make again.

I used canned tomatoes (didn't have fresh) and think it would have been better with fresh, but it was still very good. I added small cubes of mozzarella cheese when the pasta had cooled some but not completely, and my family liked it very much.

I loved this! I added mozzarella, and it was amazing! Such a good, easy dish!

I wish I could give this 4.5 stars. It was quick and easy. I added more tomatoes then called for. I ate it just as the recipe states then I added some balsamic vinegar. I liked it with the balsamic more. Thanks for a great summer recipe, this will be made in my house again.

Easy and Delicious. Works for the entire family. 

I've been experimenting with this recipe and found it's also good with dried basil, and to cut down on fat, don't seed the tomatoes and leave out the olive oil.  Not that the original is decadent.  It's a great simple meal, but it all depends on how ripe and flavorful the tomatoes are

You have to love an easy 5-ingredient recipe that's tasty. Like the idea of adding other ingredients to change it up, so thanks to the other reviewers for those tips, too.

Wonderful! I do recommend using a few extra tomatoes but it is still good with the number called for.

I have made this recipe for many years. I add fresh mozzarella and fresh parsley.  Sometimes when I feel like something a little more kicked up I add red pepper flakes.

We just loved this! It was delicious and you can add in anything you want to complement your personal tastes. I added Fresh Parsley and fresh Mozzarella. I thought it was very tasty hot or cold! Thanks so much for the recipe! 

This recipe was quick and easy to make and turned out really well. I added black olives, chick peas, thyme and oregano. This pasta is more enjoyable for me when it is heated but it is good cold also.

I have made this using butter instead olive oil, but I love it both ways. Crushed red pepper on top crowns it.  Decadent and delicious.  Viva Italia!

Very simple and good. Had all the ingredients in the house already. Added a few more spices, but otherwise, very good.

It was great! I sautéed chopped white onion and the garlic together first and then tossed all that with the warm pasta. I think the recipe could benefit from another tomato... Add Parmesan cheese too :)

Absolutely delicious! Very simple to make as well. I doubled the tomatoes and sauteed them a bit. Also great with scallps tossed in. My husband loved it!

this was jest perfect as is i was amazed haw quick and simple this was and delicious!

It was very good! I added mozzarella and tomatoe sauce, with no tomatoes, and it really enhanced the flavor. 

Easy, Basic, and De-Lish!  Only change made was to use spaghetti - since that's what was on hand. Will throw this together again.

This was so good and easy to make. I added feta cheese and lemon juice.

Mmmm...this was really good! I did follow a fellow reviewer's instructions by adding mozz, letting tomatoes soak in the oo/grlic mixture and sautee a cupful at a time. this dish is definitely better warmed. next time i will add shrimp!

Will make again. I did what other reviewers did and sauteed the garlic with the olive oil, added a bit of hot pepper flakes and some slivered onions...I used 3 'tomatoes off the vine' and a bit more olive oil. I tossed this with some fresh paremesan and topped with fresh basil before serving.  Next time I will add more hot pepper for heat, but since this was a dish for company, I didn't want them to think it was 'too hot'. EASY...I had all the staples on hand. :)

Its pretty good! There's a LOT of olive oil in my opinion but its not bad!

Tasty and easy enough for this beginner. After reading other reviews, I modified it a bit. Will modify more next time. Used 1/3 c olive oil for 12 oz pasta--was still a bit too much. Sauteed the garlic and 1/2 onion in the olive oil, then added the rest. Also used 5 roma tomatoes--could have used more. Added 1 head of broccoli and 1/4 orange pepper. 
Tasty. Would prefer with cheese or meat but was cooking for a vegan.

Added a can of white beans (rinsed) for some protein  and also 3 cloves thinly sliced garlic browned in olive oil. I also sprinkled some chili lime powder to the finished pasta.

I thought this a mediocre recipe. I used 5 decent size tomatoes from the garden, added olives, 2x the garlic, lots of salt and pepper and parmesan cheese and it was still bland and boring.

This pasta was good, but definitely needed more tomatoes.  I would agree with another reviewer and add 2 to 3 times more than the recipe calls for.  I would also toss in some mozzarella for extra flavor.

The only change I made was to add small mozzarella balls.

I mix the chopped tomato and basil and garlic with salt, pepper and a touch of balsamic vinegar and scramble them in pan with olive oil for a couple of minutes, then add pasta to the pan, toss and serve. You can sprinkle feta on the top if desired.

Very good recipe! I tweaked it a little bit and added 2 cans of drained clams and black olives. This is a GREAT recipe especially if you are looking for something easy and tasty!

Very easy and tasty!!  I did have to use basil paste but it still came out great.

Simple and delicious. Made it as written (except with different pasta). Next time I might increase the ratio of tomatoes to pasta a bit, but it's quite good as is.
Update: tried it again with rice pasta - still good.

This is very easy and tasty. however i added more of each ingredient to suit my taste. its good

This is so easy and so delicious!  A great way to use a crop of basil.  Don't miss making this recipe, you won't be sorry.  I was afraid the garlic would be overpowering but it was perfect.

easy olive oil, tomato, and basil pasta

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total: 25 minutes

Servings: 8

Author : CookinGirl

Ingredients

Instructions

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