Creamy Cherry Tomato Pasta Sauce

Seasonal and fresh as can be, this silky, creamy, slow-roasted tomato sauce does not contain any cream!  All you need to create this luscious sauce is 2 pounds or so of cherry tomatoes, olive oil, fresh basil, oregano, and garlic.  My sauce has a golden hue due to the combination of yellow and red cherry tomatoes. I used Sun Gold (yellow) and Sweet Million (red) cherry tomatoes because they are the most plentiful in my garden right now but any kind of tomato will work in this slow-roasted recipe. 

If you don't have a garden, the next best thing is to visit a local farmers' market for freshly picked tomatoes.  Many grocery stores stock locally grown tomatoes too.  I love walking in my garden in the morning to see what is ripe for picking.  I grow poblano peppers, little cucumbers (See my Mom's Refrigerator Pickle recipe here), cherry tomatoes, big heirloom tomatoes which are just starting to ripen, plus lots of herbs such as basil, parsley, oregano, marjoram, tarragon and a few varieties of thyme.  

Cut the cherry tomatoes in half and put them on a baking sheet.  Cover them with plenty of extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper, sliced garlic and lots of fresh basil and oregano and pop them in a 250 F preheated oven for about 3 hours.  No tossing or turning, just let them roast away.  

When you pull them out of the oven they will be soft and intensely flavorful!  Wait a few minutes to allow the tomatoes to cool a bit, then scoop the tomatoes, herbs and garlic out of the olive oil with a slotted spoon and place half of them into a saucepan. Place the other half of the roasted tomatoes in a tall measuring bowl and blend with an immersion blender (or regular blender) until almost smooth then add them to the other tomatoes in the saucepan.  Stir in 1 generous tablespoon of butter and heat gently while you prepare the pasta.  Be sure to strain and save some of the oil from the baking sheet for bread dipping! 

Add the sauce to your cooked pasta, toss gently and enjoy! So easy and the freshest-tasting pasta sauce you will ever make.  

Notes:  

• If you use larger tomatoes, scoop out as many seeds as you can before roasting.  Cut into even pieces.  
• Adding 1 chopped onion is optional
• Strain and save the oil from the roasting pan to use as a dip for crusty bread
• These slow-roasted tomatoes can also be used as a topping for bruschetta along with some burrata cheese. 

Creamy Cherry Tomato Pasta

This makes approximately 4 side-dish servings of pasta

Printable Recipe

2 pounds (I used a little more) cherry tomatoes, sliced in half 

8-10 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces

8-10 fresh oregano leaves, chopped

3 cloves garlic, sliced very thin

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 Tablespoon butter (reserved for reheating the sauce) 

1 pound dried pasta of your choice

Freshly chopped Italian parsley for garnish, optional

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Arranged cut tomatoes on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with the sugar, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.  Scatter sliced garlic and herbs over the tomatoes. 

Drizzle all over with olive oil .  

Roast, uncovered until tomatoes are very tender, about 2-1/2 to 3 hours. 

Transfer with a slotted spoon to a saucepan.  (Don't throw out the oil.  Strain it and use it for dipping crusty bread.)

Remove about half of the tomatoes, together with herbs and garlic, and place in a deep mixing bowl and blend with an immersion blender (or use a regular blender) until just barely smooth.  Return to the saucepan.  

Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the sauce and heat gently while you prepare the pasta.  I used Campanelle pasta but use any pasta you wish and prepare as directed on the package.

Drain cooked pasta and place in a serving bowl.  Add the tomato sauce, toss gently, top with some freshly chopped Italian parsley and enjoy! 

Garden Fresh Summertime Pasta!

When I found this recipe on the Williams Sonoma website, I thought it would be a great idea to use the bounty of fresh vegetables available at the farmers' markets or in the garden at the end of summer. It has tomatoes, zucchini and corn - all at the peak of the season right now.  

It's a recipe I will make again and again - it's that good! Are you looking at a basket of zucchini that you don't know what to do with?  Look no further!

I will say that this took longer to prepare than I anticipated.  However, after making it the first time, I knew it could be assembled earlier in the day and then baked when needed.

Delicious, and summertime fresh!

Baked Summer Pasta

Recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma Kitchen
Printable Recipe

Serves 8

Kosher salt, to taste
1/2 lb. penne pasta
6 Tbs. olive oil, plus more as needed
Fresh Kernels cut from of 2 ears of corn
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste9
8 small zucchini, about 2 lb. total, cut into half-moons
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 tomatoes, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 Tbs. sliced garlic
1 tsp. chopped fresh oregano
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbs. tomato paste
1/4 cup white wine
1/2 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
6 oz. mozzarella cheese, grated
2 oz. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Generously salt the water, add the pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta and rinse under cold running water. Set aside.

In a 12-inch saute pan over medium-high heat, warm 3 Tbs. of the olive oil. Add the corn, season with salt and black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the corn is lightly golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Set aside.

Return the pan to medium-high heat and warm the remaining 3 Tbs. olive oil. Working in batches, add the zucchini, season with salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the zucchini is tender and golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add to the bowl with the corn. Repeat with the remaining zucchini, adding more oil to the pan as needed.

Set the pan over medium-low heat. Add the onion, 1 tsp. salt and black pepper, to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, garlic, oregano and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes soften and begin to form a sauce, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add the wine and cook until the wine has reduced and the sauce is fairly thick, about 3 minutes more.

Add the pasta, tomato sauce, basil, mozzarella and half of the Parmigiano-Reggiano to the bowl with the vegetables and stir to combine. Transfer to the fry pan and sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano on top. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake until golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve warm.