By Grocery List Plus Editorial Staff | Published on June 9, 2026
Serves 4
415 cal · 45 min
Spaghetti with Sun Gold Tomato Sauce
Recipe GLPR7a049aa14d09c9
Fresh and vibrant spaghetti tossed with a delicate sun-ripened tomato sauce infused with aromatic herbs and spices. Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes are gently cooked with onion, garlic, basil, thyme, tarragon, and star anise until they break down into a silky sauce, finished with a hint of sherry vinegar and perfectly balanced with salt and pepper.
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Ingredients
2 tablespoons Olive oil
1 Small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves Garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 sprigs Fresh basil sprigs
1 sprig Fresh thyme sprig
½ sprig Fresh tarragon sprig, halved
1 pod Whole star anise pod
4 cups Sun Gold or cherry tomatoes, halved
2 teaspoons Sherry or red wine vinegar
to taste Kosher salt
to taste Freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces Spaghetti
Directions
Warm the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the finely chopped onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 6 to 8 minutes until the onion becomes soft and translucent but does not brown.
Add the chopped garlic, basil sprigs, thyme sprig, tarragon sprig, and star anise pod to the skillet. Stir frequently and cook for about 2 minutes until the mixture becomes fragrant.
Add the halved tomatoes and vinegar to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes until the tomatoes soften and release their juices, forming a cohesive sauce. Remove and discard the basil, thyme, tarragon sprigs, and star anise pod. Season the sauce generously with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Add the spaghetti and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente according to package directions.
Drain the spaghetti, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
Transfer the cooked spaghetti to the skillet with the sauce. Add 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta cooking liquid and gently toss everything together over medium heat for about 2 minutes, adding more pasta water as needed to create a silky, cohesive sauce that coats each strand of pasta.
Serve immediately. The sauce can be prepared ahead of time and refrigerated for up to 1 day; simply reheat gently before adding the cooked pasta.
Comments
This is a straightforward weeknight pasta that checks most boxes, but the herb bundle and specialty tomato variety add real friction. Sun Gold tomatoes are a summer farmers' market find, not a reliable Harris Teeter or Food Lion stock item—you'll need to plan around that availability or substitute standard cherry tomatoes year-round, which trades the recipe's identity for consistency. The fresh basil, thyme, and tarragon are available at any major chain, but star anise is the outlier: your best bet is ALDI, which stocks it in the spice section, though you may also find it at Kroger or need to plan a second stop. The 45-minute estimate is honest for the simmering time, though chopping the aromatics adds ten minutes for a home cook. At roughly $2 to $3 per serving depending on tomato season and whether you use fresh or dried herbs, it's mid-range for a pasta night. The sauce doesn't demand constant attention and reheats beautifully, making it a genuine weeknight option once you've sourced the ingredients.
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