Turmeric-Butter Pasta With Tomatoes
Published August 21, 2025
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Vivian Lui.
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
Salt and black pepper
8 ounces fettuccine or linguine
10 ounces small tomatoes, such as cherry or Sungold
4 garlic cloves
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
2 teaspoons ground turmeric
Crumbled feta, optional, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
113 grams carbs; 93 milligrams cholesterol; 836 calories; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 21 grams saturated fat; 35 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 743 milligrams sodium; 20 grams protein; 21 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente, reserve ½ cup of the cooking water and drain the pasta.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, slice the tomatoes into halves or quarters and finely chop or grate the garlic.
- Step 3
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium. Once bubbling, stir in the garlic and turmeric, letting them sizzle and bloom until fragrant, 10 to 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the tomatoes are warmed through and just starting to cave in and become part of the butter sauce, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Step 4
When the pasta is done cooking, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet, letting it melt almost completely before adding the pasta and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss everything very well, adding more pasta water as the sauce thickens and the pasta soaks it up, then turn off heat. Transfer to serving plates. Top with more black pepper and feta, if using.
Private Notes
Comments
Wow, this was incredible!! I added zucchini, corn, and basil because I had them, but the turmeric-tomato-butter is amazing.
As a tomato hater, this was…delicious! Subtle, yet rich flavor and the sauce came out nice and creamy. I’d consider adding chickpeas or chicken next time for some protein, but the pasta was nice and light on its own.
Instead of feta - which personally strikes me as an odd thing to add - ricotta salata or pecorino would give the salty lift at the end.
Sooooo good. I added cannellini beans and fire roasted corn. Feta vs. Parmesan was a hotly debated topic at the table. Everyone went back for seconds which is unheard of in my house. We also think it might fare well as a cold pasta salad too. For winter, we are going to try it with roasted butternut squash and cauliflower. Before I added the pasta, my daughter said it looked like it would be an amazing topper for crostini. Totally making this again.
This was fine albeit quite bland (despite adding red pepper flakes and some zucchini). Not sure I'd make it again
Quick and delicious but needs a bit more spice. Will add some Aleppo pepper next time.