Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Roasted cherry tomatoes with pasta

Dear foodies,

How do you like your pasta ? For me most times its just whats lying in my veggie crisper. I just throw things together, add some spices and toss in the pasta. Or its in a soup, and sometimes baked. But for the most part I do not follow a recipe. In the summer I bought a lot of fresh produce from the local organic store like, zucchini, yellow squash, asparagus, beans, peppers, snow peas and made quite a few pasta lunches and dinners out of them, either lightly stir frying them or roasted in the oven. Summer does put a dash of freshness in everything it brings to life.

I am still seeing tiny baskets loaded with the cherry tomatoes in the market. A few weeks back I bought yet another bunch of these home, they are a thing of beauty, bursting with juices and a little coaxing with some heat results in a sweet and tangy flavor explosion. I've roasted them in the oven quite a few times and more often than not they get eaten in the tasting stage itself before turning into a relish or pasta sauce :)

Ingredients:
  • 2 cups - Cherry tomatoes
  • 2 nos - Garlic cloves
  • 1 Tbsp - Olive oil
  • 2 tsp - dried Basil - substitute with fresh when available
  • 1 tsp - Red chili lakes
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 1/2 cup - cooked pasta of your choice - any short size pasta/spaghetti/angel hair will work
  • Grated cheese for serving - optional
Method:
  1. Pre-heat the over to 400F. Wash and pat dry the cherry tomatoes, spread them over a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil along with the two cloves of garlic. Coat them well with 2 tsp of olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and basil. Roast in the oven for 15-20 mins, until they start to pop and get a slight char on the skins.
  2. In the meanwhile bring water to a boil in a saucepan, add salt and cook the pasta to al dente. Drain, reserving about 1/2 cup of cooking liquid.
  3. Once the tomatoes are ready, heat a shallow pan with the remaining 1tsp of oil over medium heat. Add the red chilli flakes so it flavors the oil, give it about 1/2 -1 min without burning. Squeeze out the garlic cloves into the pan and add about 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. The garlic will eventually melt into the water.
  4. Add the tomatoes next and stir, crushing a few of them with the back of your spoon. Simmer for a minute, check for seasonings. Toss in the pasta to coat well with the sauce, turn off the heat and serve warm with some garlic bread on the side. Top it with grated cheese if you like.
This was one of my weekend lunches. I had some white bread that I made a few days back. I cut a couple of slices and toasted them in the oven after the tomatoes were done. Once they turned golden I took them out and rubbed a raw garlic clove against them making a simple garlic toast to go with the pasta, yumm! I love tangy flavors and this pasta was really good with the concentrated tomatoes and the tiny char bits in it. I added some fresh mint leaves for garnish but totally hated it, it was way to strong for the tomatoes.

Now leaving you with the memory of another beautiful evening...

Seven days, seven posts, and I am a happy girl already :) Lets see how far I take it...

23 thoughts:

anudivya said...

Fresh produce is always nice to have access to. Are you doing the 31 days, 31 posts thingy?

Priya said...


Anu: yes, trying atleast :)

Unknown said...

Looks too appealing!

Sonia said...

Hi Priya,
nice and colorful pasta. what are u doing these days...;) posting one by one recipe. u rock girl!
I love pasta...will try it soon. Awaiting for ur mail:(
Take care.
Sonu:)

Shilpa said...

My kind of dish. I will try this soon.

A Cook @ Heart said...

Minimalistic and filling!! What more can one ask!!
Good luck with the 31 days & Posts!

deepu said...

Pasta - always a favorite. Nice to know the different ways fellow bloggers discover to adorn their pastas. I love the pics ..will try this one soon. Very nice blog !! my first time here.

Anonymous said...

Priya, I completely agree with you. I too associate pasta with left overs too and during times when I am lazy to cook up a meal. Pasta is quick, delicious and comforting. And in summer its all heavenly.
Your dish looks extremely delicious!

Mrs.Kannan said...

Pastas never attracted me much...but your looks tempting..pasta with cherry tomatoes the name is more tempting

Red Chillies said...

I like my pasta with lots of veggies, parsley, pine nuts, garlic, pesto sauce.... Aah! I am hungry and that picture of yours is not helping me at all :-)

Anitha said...

Hey Priya,
I am really amazed to see new posts everyday on your blog.

Pasta looks yummy & colorful. Nice pictures too :-)

Anitha

Priya Suresh said...

Hi priya..first time here...colourful pasta ..love these kind of dish..

Meeta K. Wolff said...

ummm! yes - you could tantalize my son and me with this one priya! adding roasted tomatoes to a sauce simply brings out a lovely flavor. perfect!

Deepa Kuber said...

Good appetizer.looks so delicious and attractive.

Priya said...


Divya, :)

Sonu, hehehe, I am trying my best for this.

Manasi, just another bowlful :) I need the luck :D

Deepu, Thank you and welcome :) Pastas are good time savers.

Mona, most times I make pasta's just so I can use the fresh veggies ;)

Mrs.Kannan, you have to try pasta's. They are very versatile and your imagination/taste buds are the only limit....and the first time I bought these tomatoes was for the name and cos they looked cute :D

RC, hehe, the options are just endless naa? I haven't used pine nuts until now, I always find a huge pack which is way too expensive for experimenting... and I fall into the 'love cilantro-hate parsley' club :P

Priya said...


Anitha, I am amazed too :P

Priya, Welcome :) I am guilty of coming by your blog often but not leaving comments :(

Meeta, hehe, for once :P thank you :)

Anjali, thank you :)

Pallavi said...

I do pretty much the same thing with Pasta.. Its whatever is available in the Fridge. Looks yummy..

lubnakarim06 said...

Rocking pasta. Pic is making me hungry.

Priyanka said...

The skyline pic is absolutely breathtaking.....i usually like my pasta with some pasta sauce- not a lot of veggies and definitely not on the drier side. Some fresh herbs and lots of olive oil are a must if the pasta is not served with the sauce

Bhawana said...

Priya, today I was literally searching for pasta recipe. have bookmarked it. will try that in coming weekend.

Anonymous said...

I add any left over veggies to my pasta too, but nothing can beat roasted tomatoes.

& I am amazed that u make ur breads at home!!

That was a beautiful picture.

Priya said...


Pallavi, yup, anything works with pasta...

kitchen flavors, thank you :)

Priyanka, on a contrast, I have it with sauce only at restaurants I think. At home its generally loaded with veggies, no marinara sauce added and is on the drier side with dry herbs, haha..
thank you :)

Bhawana, do let me know when you try it :)

soma, I am just starting out, two hits and 2 flops until now, still perfecting the method :)

Mansi said...

that looks pretty good Priya!

Happy Dussehra!

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