I have a super simple pasta recipe that is so delicious and perfect for summer.
If you have tomatoes or basil in your garden, this is a great way to put it to use.
I like to roast the tomatoes in olive oil, garlic and rosemary and they get the most amazing flavor. The tomatoes can be tossed into this pasta dish or eat them on french bread- absolutely delicious.
Next I add fresh mozzarella and parmesan and basil and boom! Dinner is served. If you are pressed for time, fresh tomatoes work just fine too and this meal comes together in about 15 minutes.
At first I was concerned this dish would be bland and lacking flavor but as long as you use delicious in season tomatoes, it is really flavorful. The leftovers heat up beautifully as an added bonus. We always have leftovers and I look forward to lunch the next day.
- 2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes
- Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 lb angel hair pasta
- ½ cup fresh mozzarella
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1 handful fresh basil, julienned
- Add the cherry/grape tomatoes into a baking dish or baking sheet and drizzle olive oil over the top.
- Add minced garlic and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes. Plus salt and pepper.
- Roast the tomatoes at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. Check every 15 minutes until the tomatoes start to wrinkle and collapse. (Cooking time varies according the size of the tomatoes. Grape tomatoes will take longer.)
- Remove from oven and set aside.
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions.
- Drain pasta and add cheese and tomatoes and top with fresh basil.
- Serve immediately.
You can use either grape or cherry tomatoes for this recipe. I used both- the grape tomatoes tend to have thicker skins and might need to roast a bit longer. If your cherry tomatoes are quite large, you might consider cutting them in half. My tomatoes were all pretty uniform in size.
The tomatoes ready for roastin’!
And all ready to eat! (This was about 40-45 minutes)
These are really good as is to put on top of french bread with a small sprinkling of parmesan cheese. perfect easy appetizer!
And as for the cheese- fresh cheese makes such a difference in this simple dish. I like to use fresh mozzarella and chop these guys in half.
And that is it! If you give this recipe a shot, please come back and let me know what you think!
And speaking of tomatoes here are a few other recipes you might enjoy:
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