There’s nothing quite like a fresh tomato sauce, especially when cherry and grape tomatoes are at their sweetest. When the markets are overflowing with them, deciding what to make for dinner becomes very easy.

This is one of those simple summer pastas that requires very little effort—just good tomatoes, plenty of olive oil, garlic, fresh basil and a little patience. Let the tomatoes cook slowly until they collapse into a sweet, jammy sauce, then toss in prawns and pasta. Dinner done.

Ingredients

• 2 pints (or more) cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon chilli flakes, or more if you like it spicy
• Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
• 1/2 – 1 cup frozen peas (I happen to love peas)
• 350 g prawns, fresh or frozen, peeled and deveined
• 250 g pasta—I like linguine or penne, but use whatever you like. There are no rules 🙂
• A large handful of fresh basil, or Italian parsley roughly chopped, plus more for serving
• Splash of dry white wine, optional
• zest of one lemon
• Freshly grated Parmesan, for serving

Method

Heat a generous glug of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add the tomatoes and garlic and let them cook gently. You’re not trying to fry the tomatoes; the idea is to cook them slowly so they release all that lovely sweetness.

Once the tomatoes begin to soften, add the chilli flakes and season generously with salt and cracked black pepper.

Let the tomatoes simmer gently for about 40–45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they’ve completely broken down and become soft and saucy. If things are looking a little thick along the way, add a splash of white wine.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente.

Add the frozen peas and prawns to the tomatoes and cook just until they turn pink and the peas are cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in the zest of one lemon and a generous handful of fresh basil.

Add the drained pasta (reserving a ladle of pasta water) directly to the pan and toss everything together. Add a splash of pasta to loosen the sauce.

Serve with more fresh basil and grated Parmesan.

Yes, I know: no cheese with seafood. But it works here. There are no rules, remember?

This is an easy meal to prepare and can be doubled up for a crowd.

Enjoy!