Roasted Garlic and Tomato Mostaccioli

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Roasted Garlic and Tomato Mostaccioli

You’ll always want to have roasted garlic and tomato on hand when you taste what they do to an otherwise ordinary pasta, basil and tomato toss.

Ingredients

2 1/2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
4 to 5 roma (plum) tomatoes, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 garlic bulb, unpeeled
1 cup uncooked mostaccioli or penne pasta (3 ounces)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil leaves
2 ounces crumbled feta, roccata or cubed mozzarella cheese

Steps

Step 1. Heat oven to 300ºF. Place aluminum foil on cookie sheet; generously brush with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Arrange tomato halves, cut sides up, in single layer on foil; brush with 2 teaspoons of the oil. Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper.
Step 2. Cut 1/2 inch off top of garlic bulb; drizzle 1 teaspoon of the oil over garlic bulb. Wrap in aluminum foil; place on cookie sheet with tomatoes. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until garlic is soft when pierced with a knife and tomatoes have begun to shrivel; cool slightly.
Step 3. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package.
Step 4. Squeeze garlic into remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and mash until smooth; toss with pasta. Add tomato halves and basil; toss. Top with cheese. Serve immediately.

Recipe tags: dinner, tomato, tomatoes, vegetable