Roast Tomato Pasta

You know it's summer when the sight of deep red tomatoes brings a smile to your face. Bright and shiny they are harbingers of joy - for me at least. The man won't eat them raw but has a liking for them cooked. I found this recipe on the Splendid Table email last week and it was so easy to imagine how good it would be. I had the last of the sourdough bread to use up, there is always pasta and Parmesan round ours, so all I needed to pick up mid week was a bunch of basil. I have started some in the garden but while summer appears to be in retreat it has stopped growing. Just like pretty much everything else.

Roast Tomato Pasta

The prep for this takes less than ten minutes, it is a really easy quick mid week delight.



500g ripe cherry or plum tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup olive oil 300g penne, fusilli or farfarallini pasta
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil

Preheat the oven to Gas 4/180 C/400F.

Place the tomato halves in a baking tray. In a small bowl, combine garlic, breadcrumbs, cheese and salt and pepper. Spoon it evenly over the tomatoes and then drizzle with the olive oil.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until the mixture is bubbly, browned and slightly thickened.

While the tomatoes cook bring a large pan of salted water to the boil then cook the pasta till al dente. Drain well.

Add the pasta to the tomatoes (I added the tomatoes to the pasta but you could serve it all in the baking dish). Add the basil and toss to combine.





Dinner is ready!