Is there anything better than the garden-fresh flavor you get from summer tomatoes? That fresh flavor paired with high-quality pasta and homemade pesto gives you the perfect light end-of-summer meal!
For a great summer meal, I'd serve this pasta with a Chopped Kale Salad and some Cheesecake Stuffed Strawberries.
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Summer tomatoes are always the best. They are so sweet and tasty. Roasting them on the grill gives them a unique flavor that complements the pesto in this pasta dish and really brings out the feeling of summer. I also love roasting tomatoes on the grill in the summer as it’s super easy and means you don’t have to fire up your oven on a hot summer evening. This easy dish is ready in less than 30 minutes, making it ideal for any day of the week.
The pesto in this dish gets its special twist from a combination of walnuts, Italian parsley and parmesan. Italian parsley is often viewed as a garnish or extra, but not in this pesto. Combining it with the toasted walnuts really makes it pop, adding a unique flavor to your pasta dish!
Ingredient Notes
- Cherry or grape tomatoes: You can use either type and any color that you like. The flavor will come out when you roast them so use your favorite or whatever type you have growing in your garden!
- Fresh mozzarella: Smaller balls of mozzarella are ideal for this recipe but you could also use a larger piece and cut it up into 1"(ish) cubes.
- Italian parsley: One bunch will be enough for this recipe. If you grow it in your garden you'll want to pick about a cup and a quarter.
- Walnut pieces: You can use walnut halves as well, but they grind up a little easier if you use smaller pieces.
Tips for making this recipe
I love this dish for busy weeknights because it's ready in less than 30 minutes (more like 20 if you make the pesto ahead of time).
Roast the tomatoes. Roasting tomatoes is easy, just toss them with some oil and throw them on the grill in some type of a grill basket. Six minutes later you’ll have beautifully roasted tomatoes.
More pasta recipes
If you are looking for other easy summer pasta dishes, check out these reader favorites:
- Creamy Lemon Pasta. While this recipe is easy enough for a weeknight meal, the bright lemon flavor and parmesan breadcrumbs give it a touch of elegance.
- Cold Peanut Noodles with Grilled Chicken. This dish is great to make ahead of time so you can grab them for an easy weekday lunch or a quick weeknight meal!
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Roasted Tomato Summer Spaghetti
Ingredients
- ½ cup walnut pieces
- 1 pint sweet grape tomatoes
- ½ cup olive oil, divided
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 garlic clove
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about ⅓ cup)
- 1 cup Italian parsley leaves, plus additional for garnish
- 1 cup mini fresh mozzarella balls, cut in half
- ½ pound Davinci Signature Spaghetti
- chopped Italian parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the grill. Preheat a grill to medium heat (about 350°F).
- Cook the spaghetti. While the grill is preheating bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling and add the spaghetti. Cook for 11 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.
- Toast the walnuts. Add the walnuts to a non-stick pan over medium low heat. Toast for 5-6 minutes, shaking the pan periodically to ensure an even toast. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Roast the tomatoes. Add the tomatoes, basil and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a small mixing bowl. Toss to coat. Place a veggie grilling pan or basket on your grill and add the tomatoes. Cook tomatoes for 6 minutes. A few may “pop” as they cook. When done, remove from grill and let cool slightly.
- Make the pesto. Add the toasted walnuts to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a standard blade and pulse 4-5 times. Add the garlic and pulse a few more times. Add red pepper flakes, parmesan and parsley. Pulse until well combined. With the motor running, add the remaining olive oil and continue to process until fully blended.
- Assemble the pasta. To prepare the dish, add the pasta to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Toss in the pesto and reserved pasta water, stirring to combine. Add the roasted tomatoes and heat for 1-2 minutes. Divide among four serving dishes and top with mozzarella and chopped Italian parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
This post was originally published in August 2017. It was updated in July 2025 with some new information and photos. No changes were made to the original recipe.
Jodie Morgan
I love this dish! It's like summer in a bowl. The walnuts are a nice touch too, and I'm so glad you grilled the tomatoes! That makes them so much sweeter. Thanks for sharing!
Analida Braeger
I have a farm stand just about a mile down the road from my house and I need to pickup to some grape tomatoes to try this dish! Looks fantastic!
FoodieGirlChicago
Thanks Analida! You are so lucky to have a farm stand so close to your house!
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
I love when you can use simple, beautiful ingredients to create such a wonderful meal. This is perfect for any night of the week, and also makes entertaining easy too.
Elaine @ Dishes Delish
Roasted tomatoes are the best thing ever!! This summer salad looks delicious! I look forward to making your recipe because my hubby loves spaghetti so much!!
Christine
I have garden tomatoes coming out my ears so I need to get making this dish, pronto! Love roasting the tomatoes and the addition of the little mozzarella balls. Those things are addicting.
Çitra Kale @Çitra's Home Diary
Oh my..this is the most gorgeous spaghetti dish I've seen today. You are successfully bring summer to this plate. My husband would love this 🙂
Erin @ The Speckled Palate
My goodness. Those tomatoes just MAKE this summer pasta! I'm loving all the freshness in this dish and want to soak it all up before the summer produce disappears from our markets...
Anne Murphy
What a wonderful late Summer recipe! I love making dishes that really feature the tomatoes, front and center!
And the parsley and walnut pesto sounds good... and I have all the ingredients on hand. Hm...
Lynn | The Road to Honey
I absolutely adore roasted tomatoes Kathryn. It really does impart so much flavor to them. And I love your idea of using them as a tasty and fresh substitute to regular tomato sauce.
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
I absolutely *adore* roasted tomatoes. They look so fantastic in this pasta - pass me a bowl!
Jessica Pinney
What a beautiful pasta dish! You're making me awfully hungry over here!
Jessica
One of my all-time favorite pasta dishes! This looks so fantastic!
Michelle | The Last Food Blog
I love this recipe Kathryn! This is my kind of food, simple but delicious x
Carol Borchardt
Gorgeous photos! They make me want to dive right in. I love a good, fresh pasta dish in the summer.
Renee Gardner
Simple and delicious. I could eat this dish all summer long - guess I'll settle for eating it all of fall too!