Cherry tomatoes make this simple pasta recipe pop. Prawns make it feel fancy

Name: Cherry tomatoes make this simple pasta recipe pop. Prawns make it feel fancy
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve; 1 long red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely sliced; 1/2 tsp dried red chilli flakes; 2 sprigs oregano; 350g cherry tomatoes; 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped; 250g prawn meat, roughly chopped; 100ml dry vermouth or dry white wine; 1 tbsp unsalted butter; 380g strozzapreti or other pasta of your choice; small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped; salt and pepper, to taste

Julia Busuttil Nishimura

April 17, 2025

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

I love making quick pasta sauces with cherry tomatoes as they are so vibrant and sweet, bursting with juice. Here, they’re combined with garlic, oregano and chilli into a spicy base for a simple prawn pasta.

I like to roughly chop the prawns so that with each mouthful you get a taste of everything. Retain the seeds in the fresh chilli or increase the amount of dried chilli you use for a more fiery sauce. Other pasta shapes, such as casarecce and torchiette (“little torches”), are also fabulous here.

Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve
1 long red chilli, halved, deseeded and finely sliced
1/2 tsp dried red chilli flakes
2 sprigs oregano
350g cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
250g prawn meat, roughly chopped
100ml dry vermouth or dry white wine
1 tbsp unsalted butter
380g strozzapreti or other pasta of your choice
small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Step 1
In a large frying pan, warm the olive oil over a low-medium heat. Add the fresh and dried chilli, oregano, tomatoes, garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring often, until the tomatoes are bursting and the garlic is just starting to caramelise.
Step 2
Increase the heat to high and add the prawn meat. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the prawns are opaque and well-coated in the tomato sauce.
Step 3
Add the vermouth and, when the sauce comes back to a simmer, add the butter and stir well to emulsify. Remove any woody oregano stems.
Step 4
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 1-2 minutes less than the packet instructions. Drain, reserving 250ml of the water, and add the pasta directly to the sauce.
Step 5
Add a little of the pasta water to the pan to help create a luscious sauce (you may not need all of it) and continue to cook the pasta in the sauce until al dente. Add more water as needed as the pasta finishes cooking in the sauce.
Step 6
Stir through the parsley and season to taste. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil.