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Creamy Brown Butter Cherry Tomato Fettuccine Alfredo. THE best any night of the week pasta to enjoy with all the late summer tomatoes. I’m taking a classic pasta recipe and updating it with a rich and creamy sauce, burst cherry tomatoes, and fresh basil and sage. Every twirl of pasta has delicious flavors that melt in your mouth. It’s the simplest, creamiest bowl of fettuccine Alfredo. Fancy enough for the weekend, but easy enough to make any night of the week. And most importantly – it’s delicious!
We’ve entered into late August…when the summer produce is at its most plentiful. In the last week alone, I’ve received countless messages from our HBH family asking about new and old corn, zucchini, tomato, peach, and herb recipes.
The best of summer’s produce stars are at their peak right now!
Thankfully, I have so many ideas. And today, we’re using up those summertime cherry tomatoes and tossing them with my favorite fettuccine Alfredo.
The Back Story
My dad made fettuccine Alfredo a lot when I was a kid. To this day, his fettuccine Alfredo is really one of my favorites.
It’s was rich, super creamy, and he always went heavy on the parmesan. Dad would serve his Alfredo up simply, with just some extra cheese on top. But I love pairing my fettuccine Alfredo with a vegetable.
In the fall, it’s brussels sprouts all the way. But in the summer…it’s tomatoes!
Onto the details
My dad’s secret ingredient in his fettuccine Alfredo is an entire block of cream cheese. He’d melt together butter, cream cheese, and milk, then stir in lots of parmesan. Simple, and honestly so delicious.
I love to make mine just a bit lighter than Dad’s. I’ve greatly reduced the butter and cream cheese, but don’t worry, it’s still just as delicious.
Start with the tomatoes. I cook them up until they just begin to blister and burst. I used a little fresh sage for flavor, but that’s it. Then pull the tomatoes out of the skillet and start the Alfredo sauce.
I make mine by cooking the butter until it’s lightly browned. Then toss in lots of garlic, more sage, and a pinch of fresh oregano. The sage is the key here, it’s such a warming herb that’s mostly reserve for autumn. But personally, I love to use it in the late summer too. It adds just the right amount of warmth and coziness to summer dishes.
To the butter, I add a bit of cream cheese, a little milk, and finish with a mix of parmesan and pecorino cheese.
Next, toss in the pasta and fresh basil. Let the pasta cook in the sauce for a minute or two, then serve immediately.
Fettuccine is one of those dishes that should be eaten right off the stove. Simply plate it and top with those sweet cherry tomatoes.
This recipe is all about the sauce, the tomatoes, and those fresh herbs. The sauce is buttery, a touch garlicky, herby, and so creamy. Totally delicious and so satisfying.
The perfect summery Wednesday night meal. But also a great recipe to enjoy from now through September.
Looking for other summer pasta recipes? Here are a few ideas:
One Pot Lemon Butter Ricotta and Zucchini Pasta
Cherry Tomato Pasta Alla Vodka
Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Lemon Rosemary Chickpeas.
Lastly, if you make this Brown Butter Cherry Tomato Fettuccine Alfredo be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Brown Butter Cherry Tomato Fettuccine Alfredo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 731 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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Ingredients
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups small cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons freshly chopped sage
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 pinch each kosher salt and black pepper
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped oregano
- 2 cups whole milk or canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 2 ounces cream cheese
- 1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano
- 1 cup freshly chopped basil
Instructions
- 1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, tomatoes, 1 tablespoon sage, and a pinch each of red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Cook until the tomatoes just begin to burst, about 8 minutes. Remove from the skillet to a plate.3. To the same skillet, melt the butter over medium heat, cooking until the butter begins to brown, about 3-4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, add the garlic, oregano, 1 tablespoon sage, and a pinch of crushed red pepper. Cook 1 minute, then pour in the milk and cream. Add the cream cheese. Whisk until smooth. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook 5-8 minutes, until thickened slightly. Stir in the parmesan. Season with salt + pepper. Toss in the pasta and basil and cook 3-5 minutes, then remove from the heat.4. Divide the fettuccine between plates and top with tomatoes. Eat and enjoy immediately.
The sauce broke IMMEDIATELY upon adding pasta to the sauce, exactly like some reviews below. I’ve made the recipe twice to use up tomatoes and it broke both times. The flavor was great! However, I won’t try again
Hi Emily,
Thanks for trying the recipe, so sorry to hear you had some issues. Was the sauce hot enough once the noodles were added? Let me know if I can help at all! xT
Excellent! After searching for some recipes to use the cherry tomatoes from my garden, I found this! Simple yet, so satisfying. I used the canned coconut-yum!
Hi Justina,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xTieghan
Things were looking good until I went to add the pasta. Then, the whole sauce separated and was not edible. Sad to have made this mistake and would just pour the sauce over the pasta next time. Hoping others don’t make this mistake too. Maybe too much water left in the pasta from cooking it.
Hey Marcy,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. xx
I made this recipe for dinner and I also used the HBH Simple pasta dough recipe to make fettucinni noodles as well. It was so delicious!
Hey Jessie,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
This dish is amazing! I’ve made 5-6 times much to my hubby’s delight. I cannot wait till I have garden fresh tomatoes this summer to make it with. My advice is make this dish asap!
Hi Laurie,
Wonderful! I really appreciate you giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
This was restaurant quality pasta… better then any restaurant I’ve actually ever been too. My 1 and 2 year old even ate it up!!
Hi Elizabeth,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was a winner. xxTieghan
AMAZING! We made this tonight for guest and it was an absolute hit. We made extra sauce and did half with chicken & half with shrimp. Best Alfredo I’ve ever had!
Hey Andrea,
Wonderful!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed. Have a great Saturday! xTieghan