I am literally always on the lookout for new weeknight dinner ideas. While I love having a few favourite dishes that I make over and over, I find it really refreshing and fun to try new recipes. But sometimes I forget to share them here on the blog! This super easy Salami Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes is one that I’ve been making often since 2014, but I am only just getting around to sharing it with you now!

I came up with it when I was house-sitting for a friend and had a few seemingly random ingredients on hand. I put them together in a pan and magic happened! Honestly, is there a better combination than tomato and basil? Maybe yes, if you add salami and burrata too 😉

Sometimes when I have had a crazy day or everything has gone wrong, this dish is a little way to treat myself. It has some of my favourite ingredients combined and it feels like a moment of self care to actually cook a dish that I love rather than ordering something unhealthy or eating toast for dinner. Luckily, the sauce component of the dish comes together in less time than it takes to cook your pasta. In fact, it’s so quick that if you start cooking the sauce before you put your pasta into the boiling water, you’ll be waiting around for the pasta to finish cooking.

I think this Salami Pasta would also be a nice homemade option if you’re having a Valentine’s Day dinner at home with your sweetheart. If you’re not a confident cook, this recipe is super easy but impressive and more importantly it’s DELICIOUS. Just serve with a nice wine, a loaf of crusty bread and a green salad on the side. Cozy and perfect for a romantic night in.

Cherry tomatoes are the star here and the recipe just isn’t the same using a tin of tomatoes. This summer I have been lucky enough to use all home-grown cherry tomatoes from my garden. They’ve been a big winner for this newbie gardener, and I have 3 plants that are taller than me now! I am growing two kinds – Sugar Gloss which gives you a smaller, traditional red tomato and also Black Cherry Tomatoes, which are a darker purple.

Every week I am harvesting a heap of cherry tomatoes and this is one of my favourite things to do with them. You can use any kind of cherry tomato, or a mix. I love those punnets you can buy at the supermarket that have a variety of colours and sizes. The cherry tomatoes blister and cook in the heat of the pan, creating a sauce as they burst. The tomatoes also give a pop of flavour and jammy sweetness.

Next up we have salami, which gives you a heap of flavour. I think it’s a great versatile ingredient and I almost always have some in my fridge. You can use any salami that you like. It is a dominant flavour so make sure you use a good quality one that you love the flavour of. Sometimes I mix it up and use a spicy one, but today I used a pork and fennel salami. I also love that the salami is roughly torn by hand for this recipe which gives it a rustic touch. The oil that comes out of the salami flavours the garlic beautifully and often means you don’t need to add extra olive oil. 

The cherry on top for me is the burrata added to the finished dish that gives so much creaminess. Burrata is a fresh Italian cheese. It has a soft ‘shell’ that gives way to a super creamy inside. It can be a little hard to find in shops sometimes. If I can’t get my hands on it I will substitute with torn mozzarella or bocconcini cheese. The cheese starts to melt with the heat of the pasta and adds another dimension to this dish.

This dish is also great with any kind of pasta. I’ve made it with almost every shape and size you can imagine. This time I tried bucatini, a spaghetti-like noodle with a hole in the middle, which was awesome. So there you go, I’ve finally shared one of my Salami Pasta recipe! I hope you love it as much as I do.

Related Recipe: Creamy Chicken Pesto with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

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Salami Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Burrata

This Salami Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes and Burrata is a delicious and easy recipe, perfect for weeknights or a cozy home-cooked Valentines Day dinner!

Course Dinner

Keyword Pasta, Simple Dinners, Spring, Summer

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 250 g bucatini pasta, or any shape of your choice
• 100 g salami, roughly torn into pieces
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 chilli, finely sliced (or to taste)
• 350 g cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• Drizzle of balsamic or red wine vinegar
• Half bunch fresh basil, finely sliced with a few leaves reserved for garnish
• 1 fresh burrata
• Drizzle of olive oil
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente and then drain, reserving a small amount of the pasta water.
2. While the pasta is cooking, place the torn salami into a frying pan and cook on medium heat until crispy. Add the garlic and chilli and stir for a minute until fragrant. Turn down the heat and add the cherry tomatoes, stirring for 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are starting to burst and release their juice. Add a good drizzle of balsamic or red wine vinegar. Add the chopped basil and stir until wilted.
3. Remove from the heat and add the drained pasta to the frypan, mixing to combine all ingredients and coat the pasta in the tomato juices. If it’s looking a little dry, add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and a drizzle of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Serve with halved burrata ball on each plate and some fresh basil leaves on top.