There is no recipe I’ve made more in my lifetime than this roasted cherry tomato pasta. It’s the lowest effort, highest reward dinner I know and a complete one-dish meal.
Use whatever pasta you have around and your favorite cheese(s). Add extra protein by crumbling some bulk Italian sausage into the tomatoes before roasting, or if you are vegetarian, a can of drained butter beans. Whatever you do, just make it! And report back here and/or tag me on Instagram so I can see what you’re up to in your kitchen.
Want more pasta ideas? Here are a few more of my favorites from the archive.
- Kale Pesto Pasta with Roasted Butternut Squash and Mint
- Pasta Salad with Crushed Walnuts and Mint
- Katie’s Tahini Bucatini (add blanched spring veggies this time of year!)
ROASTED CHERRY TOMATO PASTA WITH RICOTTA AND ARUGULA
Ingredients
- 12-16 oz cherry tomatoes
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled but otherwise left whole
- 1 large or 2 small/medium shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil + more for ricotta
- A couple of sprigs of thyme or rosemary
- 4-finger pinch salt (~1/2 tsp+)
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Red pepper flakes to taste (1/4 tsp+)
- 1 lb pasta pasta of choice (I like a short shape here)
- ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water
- 1.5 cups ricotta**
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
- 1 tbsp evoo
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
- Up to 5 oz spicy baby arugula
- Grated parm to serve
- Best quality finishing evoo to serve
- Maldon salt to taste
** Feel free to sub any cheese you enjoy for the ricotta, like fresh goat cheese (can use pre-marinated or plain), feta or a soft blue cheese, or any vegan substitute that you love. All so good. You can add the mint and lemon zest directly to the pasta with the basil.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. In a large casserole dish, toss whole cherry tomatoes, garlic, sliced shallots, ¼ cup olice oil and thyme with a four-finger pinch of salt, lots of black pepper and a big pinch of red pepper flakes. Bake for 30 minutes until tomatoes are totally soft and bronzed on top.
- Season ricotta with lemon zest, mint and 1 tbsp evoo.
- Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water, drain at al dente, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy/salty water.
- Pile pasta on top of tomatoes in the casserole, and grate a mountain of freshly Parmesan over the top of the noodles before mixing everything together. Add pasta water by the spoonful until it’s nice and saucey.
- Dollop of the ricotta over the top and add little heaps of baby arugula. Season arugula with a final grate of Parmesan, the basil, a generous drizzle of best quality evoo and a sprinkle of Maldon salt.
Generously serves 4 people