Pasta with Roasted Plum Tomatoes
Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 3-4 hours | Total Time: 3-4 hours | Serves: 6
Don’t be fooled thinking this is a meal with anything bland. The tomatoes yield a depth of flavor when roasted. Drizzling a very good quality extra-virgin olive oil over the top of fresh basil, salted pasta, and sweet roasted tomatoes is a plate of deliciousness.
Roasting tomatoes brings out a flavor unlike eating them fresh. Some slight caramelization makes these super-delicious. If you’re only used to eating them fresh on salads or burgers, or even in homemade marinara, try roasting them in the oven. It’ll be a game-changer. Check out my recipe for Roasted Tomatoes!
Roasting the tomatoes ahead of time makes dinner a little more convenient. You can make a whole batch and use them over the next few days, mixing up how you serve them.
I chose Roma tomatoes for their meatiness and low moisture; I was thrilled with how these turned out. San Marzano tomatoes, another plum-shaped tomato, would be a good choice for roasting, too!
Pasta with Roasted Plum Tomatoes
Ingredients
- 1 recipe Roasted Plum Tomatoes, see below
- 1 pound noodle pasta, fettuccine, linguine, etc.
- 1-2 tablespoons excellent-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, optional
- shaved Parmesan, optional
Roasted Plum Tomatoes:
- 15 plum tomatoes, Roma, San Marzano, etc.
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 1/2 tablespoons excellent-quality extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh garlic, finely minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely chopped, optional
- 1 tablespoon fresh hot pepper, finely chopped, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Cover a large cookie sheet with foil for easier cleanup.
- Cut the tomatoes in half longways. Place the tomato halves in a bowl large enough to hold them all.
- Add salt, black pepper, oil, and any optional ingredients. (If you would like, just sprinkle any optional ingredients over a few tomatoes instead of blending with the whole batch.)
- Place your coated tomatoes on a foil-lined rimmed cookie sheet, cut side up.
- If you have decided to add the optional ingredients, this is the time to sprinkle them over however many tomatoes you want. I chose to do this because I only wanted a few with the heat from the serranos.
- Place the pan in the preheated oven for 3 hours. Check for doneness. If you like how the tomatoes look, you can remove from the oven. If you’d like less moisture and a little more caramelizing in your tomatoes, place the pan back into the oven for another hour. (You do have the option to turn up the temperature to speed up the process, but be sure to check them often. Char isn’t what you’re looking for. You can try roasting for 30 minutes at 450 degrees. Continue roasting until they are to your desired doneness.)
- Remove tomatoes from the oven.
- In the last 30 minutes of roasting the tomatoes, cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente and drain. Be sure to salt your water; it adds flavor. Also, your pasta of choice will determine the cook time.
- To assemble: Place the warm, freshly cooked pasta to either a large serving bowl, or individual bowls. Top with roasted tomatoes, a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, fresh basil and any optional ingredients.
- Serve warm.
