Creamy Tomato Pasta

SCRAPS #16: juicy, sweet, cherry tomato pasta

A satisfying, silky, and delicious pasta recipe for all of us at home, watching our friend’s vacation to Italy this summer.

We’re roasting all ingredients in a pan, concentrating the flavors: tomatoes will turn sweet and jammy, garlic will get creamy and mild and shallots will get caramelized and tender. The sauce is very adaptable, you can keep it vegan by blending it with pasta water and nutritional yeast, or simply stick with cream and cheese. It also freezes very well. If you have too many tomatoes on hand, feel free to double the recipe and freeze some sauce for later, though I think the sauce will be gone in a heartbeat.

Can’t wait to see all the pictures of you making this recipe, send them all my way!

RECIPE

Makes: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

• 4 servings pasta of choice

• 1 lb or 450 grams cherry tomatoes

• 2 shallots, roughly chopped

• 1 small head of garlic, top cut off

• 2 to 3 rosemary or oregano sprigs, optional

• A handful fresh basil

• 1/2 cup heavy cream, plus more as needed

• A handful of grated cheese, optional

  • I used a mixture of Parmesan cheese and low-moisture mozzarella.

• Extra-virgin olive oil

• Salt and pepper

SUBSTITUTES FOR

• cherry tomatoes: grape tomatoes, San Marzano tomatoes;

• shallot: onion;

• rosemary and oregano sprigs: 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano;

• heavy cream: pasta water, vegetable stock, full-fat coconut milk;

• grated cheese: nutritional yeast.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat the oven to 400°F or 205°C.

2. Drizzle 3 to 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil in a deep baking dish (mine was 15”x12”), cast iron skillet or pot.

3. Add the tomatoes, garlic, cut side down, shallots, rosemary and oregano to the dish. Season with a big sprinkle of salt. Toss to coat in olive oil.

4. Cover the dish with an oven-safe lid, or a baking sheet (to prevent the tomato juices from exploding all over your oven). Place the dish in the oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the tomatoes and shallots look slightly caramelized.

5. In the meantime, simmer the pasta in a pot of salted boiling water. Cook it 90% of the way through, not quite al dente, not quite fully cooked.

6. Carefully take the pan out the oven. Squeeze out the garlic cloves in the pan, take out the baked herbs, add the heavy cream, cheese, fresh basil, and a ladle of pasta water. Blend everything together until smooth (I used an immersion blender for this). If using a countertop blender or food processor, make sure to remove the plug on top of the lid. That’ll allow the steam to escape. Add more water, as needed. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper.

7. Add in the cooked pasta, and toss to coat in sauce, or vice versa, pour the sauce over the pasta and simmer for one more minute. Serve while hot with Parmesan cheese on top.