Gluten-Free Capellini with Sautéed Garlic and Sun Gold Tomatoes

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This Gluten-Free Capellini with Sautéed Garlic and Sun Gold Tomatoes is the epitome of less is more. For such a simple pasta, it blew me away. Normally heirlooms get all the glory this time of year, but this Mario Batali recipe features Sun Gold tomatoes, which are a sweet variety of cherry tomato.

Sun Gold Tomatoes

Bite-size Sun Gold tomatoes are so sweet and juicy they remind you that tomatoes are in fact fruits. Find them at farmers markets, or grow your own for garden-fresh treats that'll turn picky eaters into tomato fans. Sun Gold's are also amazingly easy to grow. A larger planter in a sunny spot works great.

Why Gluten-Free?

There is no doubt that this recipe would be delicious with regular pasta, but the fact that it tastes incredible with gluten-free pasta is pretty telling. If you’re like me and concerned about your health, due to sensitivities or other conditions, then it is helpful to avoid as many triggers as possible. This includes certain foods and ingredients. Your body needs every possible level of support so it can heal and maintain optimal health. Unfortunately, gluten creates disruption and inflammation, especially in your intestinal tract and bowels.

I’m certainly not perfect, but I try to eat gluten-free as much as possible.  Fortunately, gluten-free pastas have significantly improved across the board in both flavor and texture. My favorite brands include Jovial (which I used for this recipe!) Bionaturae, Cappello's, and Tinkyada, to name a few.

Rinse, Rinse, Rinse

Rinsing wheat pasta after boiling is a bad idea because you are washing away the starches that will help your sauce cling to the noodles. However, the starches on gluten-free pasta are neither desirable nor important and often lead to gumminess. A cold-water rinse after straining also stops the noodles from continuing to cook, which is crucial as gluten-free pastas are not forgiving when overcooked.

Then after a quick rinse, toss your gluten-free pasta with a bit of olive oil to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Then add them to your sauce of choice to finish.

Gluten-Free Capellini with Sautéed Garlic and Sun Gold Tomatoes

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

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• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 -6 1x

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)
• 16 ounces Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes
• 4 large garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
• ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• Pinch of sea salt
• 12 ounces gluten-free capellini or spaghetti
• 1 ½ cups finely grated Parmesan or Pecorino
• 16 medium fresh basil leaves (torn into pieces)

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Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt and add capellini. Cook capellini according to package directions, approximately 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain capellini reserving ½ cup of pasta cooking water and rinse with cool water. Set aside.
2. At the same time the capellini is cooking, heat two tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add tomatoes, garlic and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes blister and burst, approximately 10-12 minutes.
3. Transfer capellini to skillet with tomatoes. Add ½ cup of pasta water. Cook, stirring and tossing often, until sauce thickens and begins to coat the capellini. Stir in remaining oil, cheese and basil and toss.

• Author: Pralines and Greens
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 30 minutes

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This recipe is adapted from Bon Appetit. Looking for more pasta recipes? Try this Creamy Spaghetti al Pomodoro or Pesto Pasta with Roasted Vegetables.