A Simple Cherry Tomato Pasta

Some evenings, I crave something vegetarian, not in the salad-eating sense of the word, but in the way one might crave a little brightness in the middle of a dull week. Something that feels fresh, colourful, and comforting, but still fancy enough to feel like I've made an effort.

And since I have more than a few vegetarian friends who always seem to appear around dinnertime curiously enough, this Cherry Tomato Pasta has become one of the most cooked dinners in my house. The cherry tomatoes do most of the work, bursting open in warm olive oil till they turn into this sweet, tangy sauce that tastes far more sophisticated than it has any right to. The garlic hums in the background, the broccoli and mushrooms add substance, and the basil ties it all together with that smug Italian flair.

Ingredients:

• 200 gms spaghetti
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
• 6–8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup broccoli florets
• 1 cup mushrooms, sliced
• 3 tbsp olive oil 
• A handful of fresh basil leaves
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
• Salt to taste
  
  

Instructions:

1. Start with the basics. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the spaghetti and cook till al dente. Save a small cup of the starchy pasta water before draining.
   
   
2. 
   Meanwhile, in a wide pan, heat olive oil over medium flame. Add the cherry tomatoes. They’ll hiss and soften almost immediately. Stir occasionally and let them burst a little — that’s where the sauce begins to build itself, thick and shiny.
   
   
3. Shift the tomatoes to one side of the pan and add a little more olive oil. Add the sliced garlic and let it sizzle gently. Don’t let it brown too much.
   
   
4. Toss in the mushrooms and broccoli. Let them cook till the mushrooms release their juices and the broccoli turns bright green but still holds its bite. Sprinkle in a little salt and black pepper.
   
   
5. Now, bring it all together. Add the drained spaghetti straight into the pan. Pour in a splash of that saved pasta water, just enough to loosen the sauce and make everything glossy.
   
   
   
6. Tear the basil leaves and toss them in. Stir everything lovingly till the pasta is well-coated. 
   
   
7. Taste and adjust seasoning. If it needs more warmth, add pepper. If it feels too polite, add a drizzle more olive oil.
   
   
8. Serve hot, ideally in bowls deep enough to catch the steam.

Variations:

• You can skip the mushrooms or broccoli if your stomach doesn’t agree with them. Add olives, capers, or even a handful of spinach instead.
• If you like things with a little kick, toss in a crushed dried red chilli while the garlic sizzles and it'll nod cheekily to Aglio e Olio.
• 
  Most days, I like to go easy on the cheese, but parmesan truly sings here, so if you happen to have some on hand, shave it over the top. 
• To make a non-vegetarian version, toss in some shredded roast chicken or pan-seared prawns just before adding the cherry tomatoes. They soak up the garlicky oil beautifully and add a satisfying heartiness without overpowering the freshness of the dish.
  

This is a meal for the days when you’ve inched past the "ramen and roommates” part of life, when you begin to crave food cooked with a little intention and a generous pour of olive oil. After all, what’s better than a bowl of pasta that asks so little of you, yet looks elegant enough to pass for dinner meant for company? 

Reach for your nicest bowls, pour a few glasses of wine, and pretend, just for a while, that you're hosting your friends in a sunlit apartment somewhere in Tuscany.