Whole Wheat Pasta With Roasted Heirloom Cherry Tomato Sauce Recipes

ROASTED GARLIC AND CHERRY TOMATO PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Peel off outer layers of the garlic but leave cloves intact. Chop about 1/2 inch off the top of the garlic head and place in a ramekin or small casserole dish. Drizzle the exposed side with 2 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cover with aluminum foil.
• Roast in the preheated oven until tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Remove from the oven and cool for 15 minutes. Remove roasted garlic by squeezing it from the skins; set aside.
• Heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, cayenne, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce heat to medium and cook until onion is translucent and slightly golden, about 5 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and white wine and continue to cook until most of the wine has been reduced, about 5 minutes. Add butter and cook until completely melted, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add roasted garlic and enough chicken broth to completely cover the tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until sauce has reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA WITH ROASTED HEIRLOOM CHERRY TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line 2 baking trays with aluminum foil, raising the sides so the foil creates a boat. This will prevent juices from leaking onto the trays, allowing for easier cleanup.
• Smash garlic cloves and remove peel. Halve all the tomatoes.
• Divide garlic, tomatoes, and shallots among the prepared baking sheets. Coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper; give a toss with your hand to ensure even coverage. Flip all tomatoes so their cut-sides are up.
• Place trays into the preheated oven and roast for 30 minutes, stirring and rotating trays halfway through. Remove from the oven and transfer vegetables and any accumulated juices to a bowl to cool.
• Place 3/4 of the cooled, roasted vegetables in a blender and puree until smooth. Transfer to a heavy-bottomed pan over low heat with remaining roasted vegetables and juices. Stir in beans, Parmesan cheese, basil, and balsamic vinegar; bring to a simmer.
• While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and reserve 1 cup cooking water.
• Add pasta to the sauce in batches, coating it well with sauce before adding more and drizzling in cooking water to bind the sauce to the pasta as you go. Serve immediately.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA WITH ROASTED SHRIMP AND CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Note on Italian dressing: I use about 1/4 cup for marinating, but discard most of it after marinading. I list 1 T. in the ingredient list so that the nutrition facts more accurately reflect what is eaten and what is discarded.
• Marinate shrimp in about 1/4 cup Italian dressing. A Ziplock bag is handy for this step. **You'll be discarding most of the marinade later.
• While shrimp is marinating, heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut cherry tomatoes in half. Toss tomatoes with olive oil and garlic salt. Place tomatoes in shallow metal roasting pan, cut sides UP, which will help tomato juices to evaporate. Roast 30 minutes until bottoms start to caramelize and have bits of black (metal pans helps achieve caramelization during roasting).
• When tomatoes are done, push them toward the center of the pan and place shrimp around the outside of the pan. Discard marinade. Continue to roast tomatoes and shrimp about 4-6 more minutes, depending on the size of your shrimp (turn once after 2 minutes).
• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Toss pasta with cooked tomatoes and shrimp. Use the reserved pasta water to clean up any bits in the roasting pan, and then add this flavorful water to the pasta as well.
• Toss everything with basil leaves and romano cheese. Serve.