Sun Gold Tomato Pasta

Jake Cohen called this pasta sauce liquid gold and…I agree. It’s tomato sauce but made with gorgeous sun gold tomatoes and saffron so it is a gorgeous sunset color. This is definitely a seasonal dish and I may actually be posting after sun golds have left store shelves, but if that’s the case, bookmark this and make it next summer. It’s also easy enough that I could figure out the whole recipe after watching a very quick TikTok video.

[I cut this recipe in half, but full recipe for a whole box of pasta is as follows.] Start by heating 3 tbsp olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add 1 chopped onion, 6 cloves of minced garlic, and 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper. Cook until the onions soften (4-5 minutes). Add 3 pints (2 lbs) of sun gold cherry tomatoes, along with some salt and pepper. Cook and stir stir stir for about 4 minutes until you see the tomato skins getting wrinkly and releasing their tomato juices. Separately, grind up some saffron threads (I used a mini mortar and pestle). In a heat-proof bowl, add 1/2 c. boiling water to the saffron to make some saffron water. Pour that saffron water over the tomatoes, reduce the heat so it’s at a constant simmer and let it cook for 10 more minutes so it thickens a bit. While the tomatoes simmer, cook 1 lb. of short pasta (I used bowties). Transfer the tomatoes to a blender and purée until smooth before pouring it back into the pot. Stir in 1/2 c. heavy cream and some salt and pepper. Drain the pasta, add to the sauce, and – as Jake advises – make it rain parm.

Have you ever heard a more beautiful directive than “make it rain parm?” This sauce is creamy, bright, and beautiful in color. It’s a perfect summer pasta so sneak it in while you still have a few days of the season left.