Roasted Tomato Pasta

By Natalie

I'm shopping in Central Market on Monday. I give Micah a ring.

Me: Can you make me some mozzarella this week?  I need it by Wednesday.
Micah: Sure.
Me: Are you sure? Because I can buy the mozzarella right now for $3.80.
Micah: I'm sure.

Well, guess what? Wednesday comes and there is no mozzarella to be found. I will cut him some slack because he has been telling all his friends face to face our news on Monday and Tuesday night.

Since we didn't have any fresh mozzarella balls. I used shredded instead. I found the Penne with Roasted Tomatoes and Mozzarella recipe from Foodie Bride. Because of my brain not working and my lack of ingredients I had to modify this recipe. It's really easy and comes together in about 25 minutes.

Roasted Tomato Pasta

• Pint of cherry tomatoes
• olive oil
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 lb of pasta, I used rotini
•  1/4 cup starchy water
• shredded mozzarella

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Slice tomatoes in half and place in a small baking dish. Sprinkle with olive oil and fresh basil. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes.
3. Bring a water to boil and add pasta. Cook pasta to desired doneness, reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water. Then strain pasta.
4. Add a little bit of pasta water to the pasta. This will prevent sticky pasta.
5. Smash tomatoes up a bit, then poor entire contents of baking dish on top of the pasta. Add a bit more starchy water if necessary.
6. Garnish with shredded mozzarella.

This recipe can also be transformed by pouring the roasted tomatoes over navy beans!