Description
This Roasted Tomato and Garlic Ricotta Pasta is a comforting and flavorful dish featuring caramelized roasted tomatoes and garlic blended with creamy ricotta cheese. Tossed with your choice of pasta and fresh basil, it’s a deliciously simple recipe perfect for a cozy meal any day of the week.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Roasted Tomato and Garlic Base
- 450 g (1 pound) ripe medium vine tomatoes, halved
- 1 small whole garlic head (or 4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled)
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Pasta
- 225 g (8 oz) pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, or other type)
- Pasta cooking water (adjust to desired consistency)
Flavor and Garnish
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 120 g (1/2 cup) ricotta cheese
- Handful fresh basil leaves
- Grated parmesan cheese and extra fresh basil leaves, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 200°C (400°F) to prepare for roasting the tomatoes and garlic.
- Prepare Tomatoes and Garlic: Place the halved tomatoes on a baking dish. Cut the top off the whole garlic head to expose the cloves and place it beside the tomatoes.
- Season and Roast: Drizzle the tomatoes and garlic with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 20 minutes.
- Continue Roasting Covered: Remove the baking dish from the oven, cover tightly with kitchen foil, and return to the oven for an additional 10 minutes, or until tomatoes are caramelized and garlic is soft.
- Cook Pasta: While roasting, cook the pasta in heavily salted water according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve about 240 ml (1 cup) of pasta cooking water before draining.
- Blend Sauce: Once roasted, squeeze the softened garlic cloves from their skins into a blender. Add the roasted tomatoes, fresh basil leaves, chilli flakes if using, ricotta cheese, and about 60 ml (1/4 cup) of reserved pasta water. Blend until smooth.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: In a large skillet over medium heat, combine the blended tomato mixture with the cooked pasta. Toss well to coat the pasta evenly. Add additional pasta water as needed to adjust sauce consistency.
- Season and Serve: Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve the pasta in bowls garnished with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves. Enjoy your meal!
Notes
- Adjust pasta water amount to reach your desired sauce thickness.
- Chilli flakes are optional and can be omitted for a milder flavor.
- Use fresh, ripe tomatoes for best flavor in the sauce.
- For a nuttier taste, try substituting parmesan with pecorino cheese.
- This recipe serves 2 to 4 depending on portion size.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/3 of recipe)
- Calories: 420 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 14 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 56 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 14 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
