This slow roasted tomato pasta deserves a spot in your regular rotation. Slow roasting the tomatoes turns them sweet as candy, and they make a fantastic, light sauce with a bit of chili as a delicious counterpoint.
Now that many of us are working from home and spending more time at home in general, this recipe is a snap. Just throw quartered tomatoes in the oven for 3 hours and forget about them. Once that step is out of the way, you’ll have dinner on the table within 20 minutes!
9 Simple Ingredients
This recipe calls for just nine simple ingredients, including tomatoes, olive oil, salt, chilies or chili flakes, lots of garlic, anchovies, tomato paste, parsley, and pasta. I’d wager you already have most, if not all of those ingredients on hand!
But don’t underestimate this dish. Sometimes, the most delicious recipes come from the most humble and simple of ingredients. It’s how you treat those ingredients that really matters.
Is Slow Roasting Tomatoes Worth It?
In a word, yes. If you’ve never roasted tomatoes before to make sauce, it’s going to become one of those kitchen tricks that’s always in your back pocket.
Roasting tomatoes concentrates their flavor, mellowing their natural acidity and caramelizing their sugars until they’re irresistibly sweet and flavorful.
I use a similar method in our Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta Puttanesca recipe, and I still think it’s the best puttanesca I’ve ever tasted.
You can make this slow roasted tomato pasta recipe with any ripe tomatoes––tomatoes on the vine, plum tomatoes, campari, beefsteak, heirloom, cherry tomatoes, grape tomatoes––whatever you have.
Roasted Tomato Pasta Recipe Instructions
Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Slice tomatoes in quarters. You can cut them smaller if you have larger tomatoes, or leave them whole if using cherry or grape tomatoes. Place on a sheet pan, and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Roast in the oven for 2-3 hours.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook pasta just until al dente, according to package instructions.
While the pasta is cooking, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat, and add the chilies, garlic, and anchovies. Cook for 3 minutes.
Add the tomato paste and roasted tomatoes.
Cook for 1 minute. Season with salt to taste.
Add the pasta directly from the boiling water to the pan of tomatoes along with the parsley leaves. Toss the pasta until it’s well-coated in the thin sauce, adding some of the pasta cooking water if you need to loosen it up.
Serve with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. You can also serve with grated cheese if desired.
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Recipe
Slow Roasted Tomato Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 – 2 pounds tomatoes (700-900g)
- extra virgin olive oil
- salt
- 2 red chilies (thinly sliced; can substitute red pepper flakes to taste; optional)
- 1 head garlic (peeled and thinly sliced)
- 5 anchovies
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/3 cup parsley
- 12 ounces angel hair pasta (340g, can substitute spaghetti or any long, thin pasta)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250 degrees F. Slice tomatoes in quarters. You can cut them smaller if you have larger tomatoes, or leave them whole if using cherry or grape tomatoes. Place on a sheet pan, and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Roast in the oven for 2-3 hours.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook pasta just until al dente, according to package instructions.
- While the pasta is cooking, heat 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat, and add the chilies, garlic, and anchovies. Cook for 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and roasted tomatoes and cook for 1 minute. Season with salt to taste.
- Add the pasta directly from the boiling water to the pan of tomatoes along with the parsley leaves. Toss the pasta until it’s well-coated in the thin sauce, adding some of the pasta cooking water if you need to loosen it up.
- Serve with an extra drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. You can also serve with grated cheese if desired.
