Gemelli Pasta Recipe with Tomatoes and Mascarpone
Updated May 21, 2025, Published Jul 12, 2022
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Gemelli Pasta Recipe with Tomatoes and Mascarpone is a quick 30-minute meal the whole family will love. This creamy mascarpone and blistered pan-roasted cherry tomato sauce recipe pairs perfectly with Gemelli pasta!
If you have fresh tomatoes in your garden or have access to juicy sweet ones near you this recipe is the perfect way to use them. The sweet pop of delicious tomato flavor and rich creaminess from the mascarpone
Serve with Crispy Baked Cod, pear gorgonzola salad, and ciabatta bread. It is perfect for summer with all the fresh cherry tomatoes! More summer recipes here: 32 BEST Italian Summer Recipes.
I love the spiral shape of Gemelli pasta! This easy recipe makes for the perfect weeknight dinner. It will so be a friend and family favorite. This creamy pasta sauce recipe is so simple to make and will leave you craving for seconds every time!
With the warmer weather, you’ll appreciate that this pasta dish comes together in one pan, and you won’t need to turn on your oven! Easy cleanup while staying cool in the kitchen.
You will also love Angel Hair Pasta Recipe with Garlic and Herbs (Easy), orecchiette with sausage and broccoli, and Vitamix Tomato Soup Recipe.
Table of Contents
- Simple Ingredients
- How to make Creamy Gemelli Pasta with Tomatoes and Mascarpone (Step-by-Step Photos)
- Meaning of “Gemelli” in Italian
- Gemelli pasta recipes
- Substitutions
- Variations for Gemelli pasta recipe
- Saucepan recommendations
- What to serve with Gemelli Pasta with Tomatoes and Mascarpone
- How to store leftover pasta
- Top tip
- FAQ’s
- Creamy Gemelli Pasta with Tomatoes and Mascarpone Recipe
Simple Ingredients
With a few pantry staples and a few fresh ingredients you are on your way to the most delicious and easy pasta meal!
- Gemelli pasta
- Cherry tomatoes
- Garlic
- Shallot
- Olive oil
- Mascarpone cheese
- Parmigiano or parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
See the recipe card for quantities.
How to make Creamy Gemelli Pasta with Tomatoes and Mascarpone (Step-by-Step Photos)
This dish comes together in a little time with a few easy steps.
Heat a large sauce pan or large skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic and cherry tomatoes. Let cook at medium high heat until tomatoes are roasted and blistered.
When the tomatoes are done cooking turn heat to low and add mascarpone cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Add parmigiano cheese and stir until smooth and combined. Stir in fresh basil.
Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted water. Boil pasta until al dente package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
Lastly, drain the pasta and add to the prepared sauce. Add reserved pasta water and toss to combine. let sauce coat the pasta. Top with fresh basil leaves and extra parmigiano cheese. Serve and enjoy!
Hint: Reserving the pasta water makes this sauce creamy and delicious! Buy my most used and loved pasta utensil (pictured above). Read this guide on how to cook pasta perfectly every time!
Meaning of “Gemelli” in Italian
The Italian word for twins is “gemelli”.
Despite their initial appearance and name, meaning ‘twins’, gemelli pasta are traditionally made from single strands of pasta, folded in half and then twisted around themselves.
Where to buy Gemelli pasta?
You can find gemelli pasta shapes at almost any grocery store in the pasta aisle. You can also buy them online. Here are a few of my favorite brands that sell them.
- Barilla
- DeLallo
- DeCecco
Banza brand even makes a gluten-free variety!
I love Gemelli pasta shape and so do my children.
Gemelli pasta recipes
I know you will want more gemelli pasta recipes since children and adults love this pasta shape. Here are a few sauces that pair well with the gemelli pasta shape: Classic Italian Tomato Sauce (Sugo al Pomodoro), Authentic Italian Pesto Genovese (Basil Pesto), Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce, and Easy Creamy Saffron Sauce with Pasta.
Substitutions
- Ricotta Cheese – instead of mascarpone cheese, you can use ricotta or even cream cheese.
- Pasta Shape – Read this post (a guide to pair sauces with pasta) for other types of pasta that work for this recipe. I can see short and long pasta working well with this recipe.
Variations for Gemelli pasta recipe
The first time you make this recipe, make it the traditional way. You can try a variation the next time you make it!
- Spicy – add red chili flakes while cooking the tomatoes to imbue heat into the dish.
- Anchovies – add a few fillets of chopped anchovies into the sauce for a great umami flavor.
- Lemony – add a lemon kick by topping it with lemon zest and a little lemon juice.
- Herbs – add fresh herbs such as a little parsley of rosemary and thyme for EXTRA flavor.
- Deluxe – add a little heavy cream to make the creamy sauce creamier!
Try this sauce recipe with gemelli pasta: Pappardelle Pasta with Mushrooms. If you love anchovies, try this classic Italian pasta dish: Authentic Italian Spaghetti alla Puttanesca Recipe.
Saucepan recommendations
I use this large saucepan for so many recipes. See here: Italian sausage and peppers recipe. It is large and deep enough to stir the al dente pasta in after it is cooked to marry with the sauce.
SHOP our handmade pasta utensil to measure long pasta portions and stir the pasta. This is my most used tool in the kitchen when cooking pasta dishes.
What to serve with Gemelli Pasta with Tomatoes and Mascarpone
This serves as a wonderful vegetarian main course, or serve it alongside BEST Breaded Chicken Cutlets (Italian), with a side of Italian No Knead Ciabatta Bread, and end with Authentic Italian Tiramisu Recipe, or Italian Pistachio Gelato!
How to store leftover pasta
After the pasta cools, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-5 days.
Here are a few airtight containers that work well for storing leftover pasta dishes, and more: Pyrex different sizes, Snapware different sizes, Glasslock oven safe, and Rubbermaid Takealongs.
More Pasta Recipes for YOU!
- Trottole Pasta Recipe with Tomato Sauce and Shrimp
- Fried Spaghetti Recipe with Leftover Pasta
- Authentic Italian Spaghetti alla Puttanesca Recipe
- Creamy Mushroom Pasta
Top tip
Make sure to cook your pasta perfectly al dente every time! Read HOW TO COOK PASTA PERFECTLY EVERY TIME!
FAQ’s
You can use gemelli in place of many different short kinds of pasta, such as penne or fusilli. It holds sauces well, including meat sauces (like my ragu meat sauce), cream sauces, tomato sauces, and oil-based sauces. Try it in a simple pasta salad, or a hearty baked pasta.
Make this quick and easy recipe for dinner tonight! You can never go wrong with a 30-minute pasta dish!
💙 MADE THIS RECIPE AND LOVED IT? 💙 Please leave a ⭐️STAR rating and COMMENT below- I love connecting with you! Tag me with your creations on Instagram and find me on Pinterest.
Creamy Gemelli Pasta with Tomatoes and Mascarpone
Ingredients
- 1 lb gemelli pasta, or other short pasta
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces mascarpone cheese
- ¼ cup Parmigiano or parmesan cheese, more for serving
- 5 leaves fresh basil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large sauce pan or large skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil, garlic, and shallots. Let them get fragrant for 15-30 seconds in the oil Add the cherry tomatoes. Let cook at medium high heat until tomatoes are roasted and blistered.
- When the tomatoes are done cooking turn heat to low and add mascarpone cheese. Stir until cheese is melted. Add parmigiano cheese and stir until smooth and combined.
- Cook your pasta in a large pot of salted water. Boil pasta until al dente package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Lastly, drain pasta and add to the prepared sauce. Add reserved pasta water and toss to combine. Stir in basil leaves. Let sauce coat pasta. Top with extra parmigiano cheese and fresh ground black pepper. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Love it! Our hostess made it for our monthly gourmet group last week and I couldn’t wait to make it for my family. Super easy and flavorful!
So happy you loved it. It is a recipe we make often since it is supper easy and soooooo satisfying.
This was such a delicious recipe!! I made it for me and my husband and we even had some leftovers for another meal. It was filling yet a light dish that I could incorporate some tomatoes and herbs from my summer garden. Your recipes are amazing!!
Thrilled you loved it. Here’s to more Italian recipe for your summer table (and beyond)!
I made this recipe twice last week–the first time because we have so many delicious cherry tomatoes in our garden ripening right now. The second time because we LOVED this pasta dish! It was so easy to make, and sooo delicious!
Thank you so much for all of these fantastic recipes! My family honestly loves everything I make from your site!!
We are also making this weekly with all the tomatoes our neighbors gift us! You are lucky to have your own garden. I need to do that sometime since we have the space- we just have a deer problem in our neighborhood and they eat everything, ha!
I hope you enjoy all the yummy recipes that are to come! Best, Elena
Super easy and fast to make. Delicious!
Happy you loved it!
My vegetarian husband loves this dish. Easy to make and so much flavor!
So happy he loved it!! It is an easy and wonderful recipe.
I’ve made this dish twice now after finding it 3 weeks ago. We’ve just used the small pasta we’ve had on hand. What makes this dish is the sauce. The so simple, not overly seasoned, beautifully creamy, sauce. My husband always complains that you can’t find good Italian in the states. Nothing is like what his grandma used to make. But this dish, he said was the best pasta he’s ever had. So simple and so delicious. A must try!
That is a huge complement! I grew up in Italy and my passion is to share recipes that are simple and reflect true Italian cooking. Enjoy many more. All the best, Elena.
I made this recipe last night it is delicious! Very easy to make simple ingredients using the small tomatoes and letting them blister gives a delicious fresh flavour and of course the mascarpone gives it that silky creamy texture. I ate far too much!!
I would highly recommend it for family and friends
Thank you, I am happy you loved the recipe. It is so easy to make!
You will love this recipe!! It is easy and super delicious with lots of flavor. Enjoy.