Turmeric-Butter Pasta With Tomatoes
Published Aug. 21, 2025
- 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
- 8ounces fettuccine or linguine
- 10ounces small tomatoes, such as cherry or Sungold
- 4garlic cloves
- 5tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 2teaspoons ground turmeric
- Crumbled feta, optional, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
836 calories; 35 grams fat; 21 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 9 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 113 grams carbohydrates; 8 grams dietary fiber; 21 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 743 milligrams sodium
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.
I’m not a fan of feta, so I love the recommendation for the ricotta salata and will try that next time. I’m commenting to report that this dish freezes well. I used elbow pasta because it’s what I had on hand. Eating the dish freshly made didn’t wow me, but as a leftover it was much better and I appreciated its mellow, earthy and creamy flavors.
I added some steamed cauliflower, black olives, and definitely the feta. My turmeric is fresh and strong, and I would use a bit less next time. I intended to cut back on the butter but I think it actually needs close to all of what is called for here...I think I ended up with about 4.5 Tbs.
Wow! So simple and tasty. I used ghee instead of butter and used a regular tomato since I didn’t have any cherry. Definitely ended up using more tomato than called for in the recipe but I loved it. After a quick taste test, I added some capers in place of feta. Added the perfect salty punch and complimented the dish nicely. Delicious!