Pasta with creamy cherry tomato sauce

Pasta and macaroni Italian cuisine

This summery pasta sauce is easy enough for a weeknight, but special enough to make for friends. It relies on a boatload of cherry tomatoes, which get quickly charred in a skillet, then spruced up with anchovies, garlic, and red pepper flakes (feel free to ditch the anchovies to make this vegetarian). The secret to it being creamy but not too creamy? Half-and-half, which is just what it sounds like: half cream, half milk. Just before you eat, top the pasta with plenty of fresh herbs: Basil is classic, but try mint, parsley, and oregano, too.