Roasted Tomato and Garlic Pasta

One of the wonderful things about Lafayette is the farmers market that runs from May to October. This next couple of months I am going to try and take advantage of this little perk (of which there are few here) as often as possible. This last weekend I purchased two baskets of grape tomatoes, one yellow and one red. I also paid too much for basil and parsley, but I figure, hey, its local. Support the Amish!

I decided to have a go at Presto Pasta Night for the first time since beginning this blog o’ mine. While I really wanted to make a grilled tomato pasta, I opted for a roasted tomato one instead due to the fact that I don’t actually own a grill. A girl can dream! The pasta turned out beautiful and tasted fresh to boot! As K said, “Are you making that fresh California crap again?” I think she might just be jealous…

My cooking style tends to be “add a little of this to a little of that, stir, and taste to augment” so I apologize if the recipe isn’t very exact. Here it goes:

Roasted Tomato and Garlic Pasta (If you think of a better name, drop me a comment)

1 basket of grape tomatoes halved
½ lb pasta (your choice)
3 T. basil chopped
1 head of garlic
Salt & Pepper

Lay the halved tomatoes on a baking sheet, sprinkle with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil. Cut the bottom 1/3^rd off the head of garlic and place cut-side up on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast the tomatoes and garlic at 400 degrees for 35 minutes.

Boil and drain the pasta.

Lightly coat the pasta in olive oil. Stir in chopped basil and roasted tomatoes. Squeeze the garlic out of the clove skins and into the pasta. Toss and top with parm.