Why you’ll love this roasted tomato pasta sauce
- This recipe isn’t super hands on. Other than slicing the tomatoes, which you could actually skip if you want, you’re really just waiting for the tomatoes to roast.this is reason number two.
- The process of roasting the tomatoes transforms their flavor and brings out their natural sweetness. It’s amazing with fresh summer tomatoes, but it even works in the winter months when tomatoes aren’t at their best.
- Juices from the tomatoes work with the starches from pasta water to create a light and slightly creamy sauce.
How to make roasted tomato pasta sauce
Roast the tomatoes. Preheat your oven to 400˚F and have your tomatoes (quarter them in they’re larger). Put them on a baking sheet and season them with salt & pepper.
Roast them in the oven for 25 – 30 minutes. You want them to softened but not completely mush. Check them after 20 minutes just to be sure.
Boil the pasta. While the tomatoes roast, boil a large pot of salted water. Add your pasta and cook it according to the package directions for al dente. Make sure to reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
You can use any pasta you want for this recipe, but I prefer to use a wider long pasta such as fettuccine. Penne or other shapes with ridges would work nicely too.
Mix the sauce. After draining the pasta, leave it in its colander for a few minutes while you use the pot to make a quick sauce. Heat olive oil to medium-high and add your minced garlic.
Sauté until fragrant – this should take about 30 seconds or so. Then, stir in your roasted tomatoes with any juices that accumulated on your baking sheet. Slowly pour in a bit of pasta water (about 1/4 cup) and season the sauce with salt & pepper to taste.
Toss it all together. Add the pasta back to the pot and stir to evenly coat it with the sauce. Slowly stir in additional pasta water if needed. Garnish with fresh basil before serving.
frequently asked questions: Roasted tomato pasta sauce
Do you peel tomatoes before roasting?
No, leave the skins on the tomatoes for this recipe. The skins will soften to perfection when roasting.
Are cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes better for pasta?
You can use either type of tomato for this recipe. They are both great. I like to use a combination of tomatoes when making roasted tomato pasta, but in this particular case, we used grape tomatoes and campari tomatoes.
How do you thicken roasted tomato sauce?
Make sure you save the pasta water to add to the tomatoes, if you need a little more sauce add another splash or two of the pasta water. The starches in the pasta water will help to thicken the sauce.
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds tomatoes - we used a mix of cherry, grape, and campari, halved or quartered, depending on size
- 4 – 6 garlic cloves - minced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Coarse salt & black pepper
- 1 16- ounce package pasta
- Thinly sliced fresh basil - for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400˚F.
- Place tomatoes and garlic on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season liberally with salt & pepper. Toss to coat the tomatoes.
- Roast the tomatoes in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes, or until tomatoes have softened and juices are filling the pan.
- While tomatoes roast, cook pasta according to package directions in a large pot of salted water. Reserve about 1/2 cup pasta water before draining pasta.
- Toss pasta with roasted tomatoes and add pasta water to loosen sauce, as needed.
- Adjust seasoning with salt & pepper, and garnish with fresh basil before serving.
