Recipe: Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

Sometimes the best dishes contain the simplest ingredients. Actually, that sounds like something Chef Michael Smith often says (I've probably picked it up from him), but it is true. And for me, I can't always think of what to put in a pasta dish; I need a cook book to tell me that part. But once you put the recipe in front of me, magic happens! And it keeps building my cooking repertoire, so next time I need a dinner in a pinch, I won't necessarily have to go to my recipe box. 

This was another dish from the Cooking for Two book that was a quick and easy dinner to whip up (no, I didn't make the pasta for this dish...maybe next time), and with only a few main ingredients, it was a really stellar pasta dish. Besides the cherry tomatoes, it had arugula and goat cheese (everything tastes better with cheese!). 

Some of you might know that my husband and I have an upcoming trip to Italy for our honeymoon, so we've been eating some different variations of pasta in anticipation of the delicious meals we'll be dining while abroad. I'm sure this dish didn't compare to the real deal in Italy, but I thought I'd give it a shot. 

INGREDIENTS

1 small shallot, sliced thin

2 tbsp olive oil

1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved

3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tsp sherry or red wine vinegar

3/4 tsp sugar

salt and pepper

1/8 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 pound spaghetti or other pasta

2 ounces baby arugula (about 2 cups)

2 ounces goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)

DIRECTIONS

PREHEAT oven to 350 degrees.

TOSS the shallot and 1 tsp of olive oil together in small bowl. In a medium bowl, gently toss the remaining 5 tsp of oil, tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, sugar, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper together. Spread in a shallow baking dish and scatter the shallot over the tomatoes.

ROAST without stirring until edges of shallot begin to brown and tomato skins are slightly shriveled, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

MEANWHILE, bring water to a boil in large pot. Add the pasta, 1 tbsp of salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then drain pasta and return to the pot. 

STIR the arugula into the pasta until wilted. Scrape the tomato mixture on top of the pasta and combine, adjusting the sauce consistency with the reserved pasta cooking water as desired. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

SPRINKLE individual portions with goat cheese and serve.