Thursday, December 9, 2010

Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce

I think it's so funny, or I guess interesting, how much we learn as we grow up. Not only what we learn, information wise, but what we learn to like or dislike. As a kid, I used to hate tomatoes, onions, garlic and avocado - I know I'm really kicking myself about it.
Over time, I don't know what happened, all of a sudden they all began to just grow on me and now, well now, I love them, can't live without them! This pasta is just a simple, comforting meal. Just roast off some tomatoes, toss with some spaghetti and top with a drizzle of really good olive oil. Really, it's that simple. 
Mmmmm carbohydrates!

Pasta with Baked Tomato Sauce
Yields:
Original recipe here.

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. very ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. pasta, cooked al dente
1/4 cup loosely packed basil leaves, torn

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Grease a 13x9" baking dish with 1/3 of the olive oil. Place the tomatoes cut side up in the dish. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheese and garlic and toss with a fork to mix well. Sprinkle the mixture over the tomatoes, making sure that each cut side is well covered with the crumb mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake until the tomatoes are cooked through and starting to brown on top, about 20 minutes. When the tomatoes are done, add the basil and stir vigorously to mix everything into a sauce. Add the pasta to the baking dish, then top with the remaining olive oil and toss well. 

9 comments:

  1. I love simple dishes like this for a weeknight meal!

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  2. Elegant in its simplicity and flavorful...just how I love to enjoy pasta.

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  3. Yay! I like this! Will be having this for tonight!

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  4. Your pasta looks gorgeous with all the colors!

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  5. Looks amaaaazing! Can't wait to try this with whole wheat pasta. It's like all of my favorite things rolled together... fresh tomatoes, basil, cheese...

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  6. Magnificent! Thanks :)

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  7. Tried out your recipe today. It scrumptious! Thanks!

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  8. I have made this 2x in the past 2 weeks. so so so good. I add some parsley to the breadcrumbs and used some really sweet yellow grape tomatoes as well as a few peeled diced plum tomatoes.
    awesome. Thanks for introducing me to this recipe! :)

    -Elizabeth

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