Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

This week is my favorite week of the summer: I received my first batch of tomatoes from my CSA. I love tomatoes oh so much (if you haven’t figured that out with all my posts including tomatoes as an ingredient). As a kid, I used to eat them whole, dipping them in ranch dressing.  Not much has changed, except now I choose to dip them in hummus instead. Although I do love a good fresh, juicy tomato, there is something wonderful about a cooked tomato. Cooking Light‘s latest issue was (as usual) on point with a lovely, simple pasta recipe that includes tomatoes, garlic, basil … and not much else.

Ingredients:

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add one tablespoon of salt. Add the pasta and cook for 10 minutes.

While waiting for the pasta  to cook, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil, the tomatoes and the chopped garlic on a pan with edges so the tomatoes don’t roll off. Toss to combine.

Bake for 450 degrees for 11 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to burst.

When the pasta is done cooking, drain the pasta in a colander over a bowl, you want to reserve 6 tablespoons of the cooking liquid.

Combine the reserved cooking liquid and 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saute pan and bring to a boil.

Boil for 4 minutes and add the pasta to the pan. Toss to coat. Add the tomato mixture to the pasta, season with salt and pepper.

Top with cheese and basil.

I love recipes like this! After picking up my CSA, which included the tomatoes and the basil, I had all ingredients on hand, perfect for a weeknight meal. The entire recipe took maybe 30 minutes!

For such a simple recipe, there is plenty of flavor. I am always skeptical about recipes that use pasta water instead of sauce, but each and every time I am pleasantly surprised. Tomatoes, basil, garlic, cheese, what more do you need?