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Bucatini with Cherry Tomato Sauce and Fresh Sage
This dish takes inspiration from a recipe in “Simple” by Yotam Ottolenghi. But instead of conventional stovetop simmering, we pressure-cook cherry or grape tomatoes, which tend to be dependably good no matter the season, into a tangy-sweet sauce. The pasta cooks in the pot at the same time, so there's no need to boil a separate pot of water. Fresh sage, smoked paprika and pecorino Romano cheese ratchet up the flavors. We especially liked this dish made with bucatini pasta, which is a thick, tubular spaghetti; linguini is a good alternative, but reduce the pressure-cooking time to 4 minutes.
4-6
Servings
Tip
Don't forget to break the pasta in half so the strands lay flat in the pot. And when adding the pasta, make sure no pieces poke above the surface of the liquid. All of the pasta must be fully submerged to cook properly.
45 minutes
20 minutes active
Ingredients
-
⅓
cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to serve
-
4
medium garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Directions
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01On a 6-quart Instant Pot, select More/High Sauté. Add the oil and heat until shimmering. Add the garlic, pepper flakes and bay, then cook, stirring, until the garlic is light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, 1½ teaspoons salt and 3 cups water. Add the pasta, placing the strands horizontally so they lay flat, then press them into the liquid until submerged.
Reviews
June 9, 2026
Loved it!
I made this tonight with our bounty of fresh cherry tomatoes and sage from the garden. I used 1 pound of linguine (didn’t have bucatini) and added a little extra water. It was super easy and delicious! It was my 1st time cooking pasta in the InstantPot - success! I will be making this again!
October 2, 2025
Still love it!
I had written a previous review and couldn’t find a way to edit it, but I wanted to include that I made this a second time and used a different pasta (Vesuvio—but rigatoni or penne would work as well). I did need to add a little more water—about 1/4 cup—to ensure all the pasta was submerged. But it came out great! Next time, I think I’ll try basil instead of sage.
May 30, 2025
Delicious!
I made this for the first time tonight, and my husband and I liked it so much that it will definitely be a go-to. The ingredients are simple, and the prep time is faster than other dishes I make. The only modifications I’ll make next time is to add a little more pepper flakes and sage.
February 26, 2024
Definitely a crowd-pleaser!
Unexpectedly amazing; the smoked paprika takes this dish to another level. Kids vacuum this stuff up, and my wife asks me make it, over and over!
April 2, 2023
Loved to use my Instant Pot
I loved to be able to make this so quick and easy. Really loved the fresh sage. Hate to have to break the bucatini, especially since it doesn't twirl well. But, I will make again and use the Instant Pot!
Hubby loved this recipe! We’re not sage fans so we sub’d basil. Funny, he said, “It’s what Chef Boyardee is supposed to taste like!”
So simple to make and fantastic flavor! I even forgot about halving the tomatoes and they were all cooked and incorporated. This will definitely be one of our go-to meals!! Thank you MilkStreet
Horrified at breaking the pasta in half so that it can be cooked in an Instant Pot; Italians would throw a fit. Why not just make the sauce as usual, cook the pasta properly, and finish the pasta off in the sauce?
Mark - good news: we have a stovetop version of this recipe! Breaking the noodles in half makes this dish possible in an Instant Pot, and cooking the noodles right in the sauce and under pressure means that they absorb a huge amount of flavor. You can find the stovetop version here: https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/pasta-cherry-tomato-sauce-sage-yotam-ottolenghi .
Best,
The Milk Street Team
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This dish surprised me. For such a simple list of ingredients and such an easy preparation, I expected something dull and boring. Instead, the flavors were layered and complex. This is definitely a keeper and will go into the regular rotation.