Pasta · Summer
Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta, End of Summer
A pasta that asks nothing of you except a hot oven and good tomatoes. The roasted tomatoes become their own sauce — sweet, jammy, just barely cohesive.
Prep
10 min
Cook
30 min
Total
40 min
Serves
4
In late August, when cherry tomatoes are at their most absurd — sweet, fragrant, almost embarrassing — this is what we cook. The tomatoes go in a hot oven with garlic, olive oil and salt, and forty minutes later they have burst and caramelized into a kind of fresh, light tomato jam. Toss it with hot pasta and torn basil. That is it.
The key is using small tomatoes (cherry, Sun Gold, grape) and a very hot oven (425°F). Big tomatoes give up too much water; a lower temperature steams instead of roasts. We want some scorched edges, some collapse, and a syrupy pool of oil and juice in the bottom of the pan.
Try to find Sun Gold tomatoes if you can. Their flavor is bewilderingly good roasted.
Method
- Heat the oven. Heat the oven to 425°F.
- Roast the tomatoes. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the tomatoes with the garlic, olive oil, salt and red pepper flakes. Spread in a single layer. Roast for 25 to 35 minutes, until most of the tomatoes have burst and the edges of some are darkly caramelized.
- Boil pasta. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente — about a minute less than the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- Combine. Add the drained pasta directly to the baking sheet with the tomatoes. Add ½ cup of pasta water and toss with tongs, gently breaking up some of the tomatoes while leaving others whole. The starchy water will pull the oil and tomato juice into a glossy sauce. Add more pasta water by the splash if it needs loosening.
- Finish. Tear in the basil leaves. Toss once more. Serve in warm bowls with a final drizzle of olive oil and a generous shower of Parmigiano.
A perfect tomato in August needs nothing from you. This recipe is mostly the art of not getting in its way.
Notes & substitutions
- Tomato choice Cherry, grape, or Sun Gold. Larger tomatoes will not work — too much water, not enough concentration.
- Make ahead The roasted tomatoes keep refrigerated for three days. Reheat in a low oven before tossing with fresh hot pasta.
- Pasta shape Tubes and shells catch the tomato sauce. Long pasta works but is less satisfying here.
- Add-ins A ball of fresh mozzarella torn over the top at the table is excellent. A spoonful of fresh ricotta dropped onto each bowl is even better.
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