Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Mint

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This bright and vibrant Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Mint dish is the perfect meal for the warmer months of the year. It tastes so fresh and light, with the natural flavors of the Heirloom Tomatoes and Mint being the star ingredients. With only a few ingredients needed and very little cooking time, it’s a perfect meal for the family when you don’t have much time to cook, but want to eat something flavorsome and healthy

Inspiration for this recipe

There was a version of this recipe that was featured on a Rick Stein TV show years ago (we’re talking 20 years now). I believe he was somewhere in the Mediterranean in a local town, and this is what one of the locals cooked up for him. Well, a version of it anyway. Fresh local Tomatoes were simply chopped up and sautéed in a pan with some Garlic and Olive Oil

After about 10 minutes, in went a very generous proportion of freshly chopped mint and some Sea Salt. Next thing you know, it was all being poured over a big bowl of freshly made Spaghetti and that was it! I always remember that dish, I think the simplicity of its preparation and flavors is what stood out to me

There really is nothing to hide in the dish. It is a celebration of the pureness of the ingredients at its core. With a dish this simple, and with such few ingredients, the key to extracting the best flavor from it is to always use the freshest of ingredients

Summer is the best time to cook with Tomatoes

Tomatoes are available all year round these days (well, in big cities anyway) due to the excessive consumer demand for this product. However, even though they are always available, you will notice two major differences in Tomatoes based on what time of the year you’re purchasing and eating them

First, and this will be the most noticeable, is that the cost of Tomatoes skyrockets when they are out of season. If you want to make this dish in the middle of winter you absolutely can, however chances are you may be paying double the price of Tomatoes that you would at the peak of the season

This is simply down to supply and demand. Tomatoes grow naturally in the late Spring / Summer. Therefore, there’s more of them around, so they’ll cost less to buy. Out of season however, there are much fewer farmers that are growing Tomatoes. Most are using elaborate equipment to keep growing them year-round. This costs money, which, you guessed it, gets passed onto us, the buyers!

Second is flavor. Naturally grown produce always tastes the best, therefore it should be no surprise that when the Tomatoes are in season in Summer that they will be at their ripest. Summer Tomatoes are wonderfully juicy and flavorful. They have a lovely sharpness to them, but still carry a subtle sweetness that can be extracted when they are cooked down, which is what we’re doing with our Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Mint dish!

There is no better Tomato flavor than Heirloom Tomatoes

The White Truffle, the Osetra Caviar, the Wagyu Beef of the Tomato world is, without doubt, the Heirloom Tomatoes. When ripe and at the peak of their season are the most flavorsome of all tomatoes. They are at their best when you don’t do much to them. Eating them raw is so good, which is why they are the preferred Tomato for popular dishes such as Caprese Salads

Yes, there are other types of Tomatoes that lend themselves better to other preparations of food. For instance, San Marzano Tomatoes are easily the best Tomatoes to use when making heavily reduced Tomato sauces for Pizzas for instance

However, this Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Mint dish does not require a lot of cooking. Our goal is to showcase the pure, natural flavors of the Tomato, with minimal cooking required. Therefore, you simply cannot go past Heirloom Tomatoes for the ultimate flavor in this dish

How to make this Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Mint dish

This recipe is such a simple one to create and will be ready in under 20 minutes. You’ll be amazed at how much flavor can be produced with so few ingredients and such little time. The flavor is unique, as it is not a heavily reduced Tomato Sauce. Quite the opposite in fact, you only want to reduce the Tomatoes enough, so they turn into a chunky sauce, and it’s done

Preparing the Tomatoes is simple. We want to remove any excess water and seeds from the Tomatoes before cooking them. To do so, simply cut the Tomatoes in half and gently squeeze out the seeds and juice. You don’t need to get rid of it all, just enough to slightly break up the Tomato and about 80% of the Juice is removed

Cut the Tomatoes up into chunks and they’re ready to be cooked. For a large Heirloom Tomato, we cut them into 6 – 8 pieces, but it doesn’t really matter. You just need to cut them up enough to allow them to break down easily in the pan

Into the pan goes the classic Mediterranean flavors of Olive Oil, Onions, and Garlic

It just isn’t a Mediterranean inspired dish without the holy trinity of flavor. Add a generous amount of Olive Oil into a pan over medium heat then add the Onions. You can use any kind, we went with Red Onions as they are a little sweeter, which helps elevate the flavor in the dish

Have those Onions diced up well, as we want them to cook quickly in the dish. After a few minutes in the pan (along with a generous amount of Salt), in goes the Garlic. You only want to cook the garlic for 30 seconds – 1 minute maximum. Any longer and it will start to burn and turn bitter. Just cook it enough to start to release those wonderful aromas, then pile in the Tomatoes and long with more Salt

Cook the Tomatoes down for 10 – 15 minutes maximum. A good barometer for time is to start boiling your water for the Spaghetti. Drop the Spaghetti in and once it’s cooked, the Tomatoes will be ready at the same time

Then, simply mix in a generous amount of freshly chopped Mint and a squeeze of Lemon Juice into the Tomato Sauce and it’s ready to be served over the top of the cooked Spaghetti! Sprinkle over a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan Cheese, another drizzle of Olive Oil, and some Flaky Finishing Salt and it’s done!

For some added (optional) flair, we roasted up some baby Truss Tomatoes for show

The dish totally doesn’t need this, but if you’re looking to add a little bit of flair to your plating then this works out very well. We found some beautiful baby truss tomatoes (the ones that are still on the vines), so decided to roast them in the Oven with some Olive Oil and Salt

They only need about 15 – 20 minutes in a hot oven (around 400F) until they start to blister slightly. At this point, take them out of the Oven and cut up into portions. They make for a beautiful presentation on the plate, and add another lovely Tomato element to the dish

So, if you’re feeling a bit cheffy then we’d recommend adding this step to the cooking. We wouldn’t recommend following this process using Heirloom Tomatoes, however. They will take way too long to cook, and you won’t get the same visual appeal. Stick to Truss Tomatoes for the best result

Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Mint Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. Heirloom Tomatoes
• 250g / 9 oz. dried Spaghetti
• 1 cup fresh Mint, roughly chopped
• 4 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
• Juice of ½ a Lemon
• ½ Red Onion, finely diced
• ½ cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
• 1 ½ tbsp. Olive Oil
• Salt
• Optional: 8 oz. Baby Truss Tomatoes
  
  

Instructions

1. Prepare the Tomatoes by washing them and cutting them in half. Gently squeeze out the seeds and juice from the Tomatoes, then roughly chop the Tomatoes into chunks
2. Heat 1 tbsp. of Olive Oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Once hot, add the Red Onion and a pinch of Salt and cook for 4 – 5 minutes until tender. Add the Garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds until fragrant
3. Add the Heirloom Tomatoes to the pan along with 2 tsp. of Salt and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so the Tomatoes break down and form a loose sauce
4. Once you’ve added the Tomatoes, heat a large pot filled with Water and 1 tbsp. of Salt. Once the water is boiling, drop the Spaghetti and cook until al dente (about 8 – 10 minutes). Strain once cooked
5. Once the Pasta is cooked, turn the heat off on your Tomato Sauce then add the freshly chopped Mint and Lemon Juice. Taste for seasoning and then mix the sauce in with the cooked Spaghetti
6. Serve onto individual plates. Garnish with a sprig of Mint, a drizzle of Olive Oil, and a pinch of Flaky Salt. Serve the Parmesan Cheese in a separate bowl on the side
   
   

Recipe Notes

• Optional: You can roast Baby Truss Tomatoes in the Oven for a nice final presentation. To do so, place them on a sheet pan and season with ½ tsp. of Olive Oil and a pinch of Salt. Roast for 20 – 25 minutes in the oven at 400F until cooked and just starting to blister. Plate on top of the Spaghetti
• If you want to add a little bit of sweetness to the dish you can add 1 tbsp. of Tomato Paste at the same time you add the Garlic
• Make sure your Tomatoes are ripe before making this dish. It’s best to leave them out for a few days at room temperature before cooking for the best result
  
  

That is all there is to it! Perhaps one of the simplest, yet most delicious meals you can make. This fresh and vibrant Heirloom Tomato Pasta with Mint is a perfect midweek meal. It tastes great, is ready in no time at all and is healthy

If you enjoy cooking healthy, vibrant, and simple recipes then we recommend giving some of these wonderful dishes a try:

• Greek Salad with Chicken
• Tomato Seafood Pasta
• Thai Mango Salad with Peanut Dressing
• Greek Pasta Salad
  
  

Happy Cooking!