I’m pretty sure that I eat baked/roasted tomatoes more than most people. They are, by far, one of my favourite savoury things to eat. I request them as as side dish for as many dinners as possible. Luckily, in this recipe, I just about get my fill of them. Almost.
Ingredients:
1 lb of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of olive oil
balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup of panko breadcrumbs
2 tablespoons of chopped basil
1/2 lb penne pasta
3 oz fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
juice of half a lemon
salt and peper to taste
Instructions:
Put your penne in boiling water and start to cook your pasta. Preheat your oven to 400 F. Toss the halved cherry tomatoes and minced garlic with 1 tablespoon of olive oil before spreading them out evenly in a baking dish. Drizzle balsamic vinegar over the top. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 20 minutes of until the tomatoes skin is starting to wrinkle.
Toss the breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and sprinkle the breadcrumbs over top. Bake for 3-5 more minutes until the panko is lightly golden. Sprinkle the chopped basil over top.
Drain your pasta and add it do a large bowl. Add in your sliced mozzarella and the lemon juice. The heat of the pasta should melt the mozzarella a little. Serve your pasta with big scoopfuls of your baked tomatoes on top.
This dish is brilliant to make in large quantities with leftovers because it tastes just as good (if not better) cold!
