I love nothing more on my spaghetti than chunky, slow roasted tomatoes that I roast with an entire head of garlic in some olive oil and seasonings. I used an entire head of garlic to ensure there was no lack of flavor in this dish. It paid off to peel and mince that entire head, it makes a difference!

There is no meat needed in this dish, unless of course, if you’d like to add sliced chicken breast or sweet Italian chicken sausage, or Italian sausage. For my husband, I did make a sweet Italian Chicken Sausage because he likes protein with his spaghetti and I had an extra one in the refrigerator that I needed to use.

There was an abundance of vine-ripened tomatoes in a bowl on my counter and I decided to use every last one of them for this recipe – 9 in total!

I sliced each tomato into eight pieces and placed them on a large rimmed sheet pan.

In a medium sized measuring cup, I added 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1 head of garlic, peeled and minced, 4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano and 1 teaspoon sugar. I whisked everything together and poured it over the tomatoes.

I blended the oil mixture, which was to become my sauce, onto the tomatoes with a spatula, making sure all of the tomatoes were covered with my seasoning and sauce.

Once the oven was preheated to 350 degrees, I placed the pan of tomatoes in to roast for an hour and 15 minutes.

During that time, I had cooked my spaghetti noodles so that I could just add the tomatoes and the sauce they’d made over the noodles and toss together.

I also made a crispy parmesan topping by cooking 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small skillet and adding 1/4 cup of almond meal (you could use panko breadcrumbs if you prefer) and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan. I cooked the almond meal and parmesan together in the oil until it became browned and crispy (about 5 minutes, stirring frequently).

I love this pasta dish for summer! It works for any time of year, of course, but the tomatoes seem so ripe and plentiful in the summer, I love to use as many as I can for so many dishes.

Ingredients

1 lb. spaghetti noodles, cooked

1 head garlic, peeled and minced

1/2 cup of olive oil, plus 1/4 cup for parmesan toppping

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

9 vine ripened tomatoes

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus a pinch for the crispy topping and a pinch for serving

1 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon sugar

1/4 cup almond meal

1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more for topping

fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut tomatoes into 8ths. (Cut in half and then each half into half and then each half into halves again.) Place on rimmed baking sheet.
3. Peel and mince garlic and set aside.
4. Add 1/2 cup olive oil to a measuring cup along with balsamic vinegar, seasonings and sugar. Add garlic and whisk all together.
5. Pour over tomatoes and mix well, making sure all tomatoes are covered in olive oil and seasonings.
6. Place into oven and roast for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
7. Cook spaghetti and drain, reserving a cup of pasta water in case you need it for the same.
8. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a small skillet. Add almond meal and parmesan and a pinch of red pepper flakes and stir. Cook until lightly browned and crispy. Remove from heat.
9. Add tomatoes and sauce to cooked spaghetti and toss. Place in individual dishes to serve and add crispy topping to each serving, as well as fresh basil.

Enjoy!

Until next time, Kris