My parents' tomato garden is officially in business. After weeks of poking, prodding, and waiting for the tomatoes that we weren't sure would end up making an appearance this summer, we've received a bounty of cherry tomatoes, with about a pint of them ripening and ready-to-be-picked each day. It's all we can do to keep up, which is a ridiculously good problem to have.
If you're finding a similar bounty in your own garden––or your local market––I have the next recipe that you're going to want to try: Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta Puttanesca. Proof of how awesome it is? We've already made it twice between taking the photos you see here and publishing this post.
Traditional pasta puttanesca is made with a tomato sauce, but this version is made with a much thinner "sauce" of roasted cherry tomatoes that clings to the starchy pasta after you toss it all together. Perfection.
Now, I will say that this pasta puttanesca recipe does require a little bit of oven time (a measly 20 minutes!), but it's well-worth it. Roasting the cherry tomatoes brings out their natural sweetness, and you end up with a fun mix of textures. After a short turn in the oven, some of the tomatoes are slightly blistered and wilted, and some are able to still maintain their shape, resulting in a combination of intense roasty toasty sweetness and freshness.
The sweet cherry tomatoes play amazingly well against the slight bitterness of the olives and the tang from the capers. Combine those flavors with nutty anchovies and Parmesan cheese, and you get summer dinner nirvana.
You'll need:
- 12 oz. dried thin spaghetti
- 2 pints cherry (or grape) tomatoes
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced
- 4 anchovy fillets
- 2/3 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons drained capers
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 3 tablespoons julienned basil
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle the cherry tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Transfer to your preheated oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet (large enough to toss all your pasta in) over medium heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, along with the garlic and anchovies. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the anchovies have melted into the oil and the garlic is fragrant.
By now, your water should be boiling. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions, shaving off 1 minute of cooking time (i.e. the pasta should be just under "al dente.")
To the garlic and anchovies, add the the olives, capers, red pepper flakes, and tomatoes.
The roasted cherry tomatoes really make this pasta puttanesca extra delicious.
Toss in the pasta, and toss everything together for a minute, allowing the pasta to absorb the liquid in the pan. Toss in the herbs…
And serve with Parmesan cheese.
Roasted Cherry Tomato Puttanesca
Prep time
10 mins
Cook time
30 mins
Total time
40 mins
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 12 oz. dried thin spaghetti
- 2 pints cherry (or grape) tomatoes
- 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- Salt and pepper
- 6 cloves garlic, sliced
- 4 anchovy fillets
- ⅔ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
- 3 tablespoons drained capers
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 3 tablespoons julienned basil
- Grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F, and bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the spaghetti. On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, drizzle the cherry tomatoes with 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to your preheated oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet (large enough to toss all your pasta in) over medium heat. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, along with the garlic and anchovies. Cook for 3-4 minutes, until the anchovies have melted into the oil and the garlic is fragrant.
- By now, your water should be boiling. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions, shaving off 1 minute of cooking time (i.e. the pasta should be just under "al dente.")
- To the garlic and anchovies, add the the olives, capers, red pepper flakes, and tomatoes. Toss in the pasta, and toss everything together for a minute, allowing the pasta to absorb the liquid in the pan. Toss in the herbs, and serve with Parmesan cheese.
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