Oven Roasted Garlic Tomatoes

I’m not sure how your house currently looks – but mine looks like it is covered in tomatoes. No – and not just because my kitchen is painted red but because I have almost no counter space due to tomatoes (literally, 40+ pounds of tomatoes – we are in the process of ‘dealing’ with them)! I am freezing ‘fresh’ tomatoes to use later. I also am making salsa (and freezing some). I will also have some tomato sauce that will be making its way to the freezer.

But I enjoy eating fresh tomatoes!! For lunch the other day I had just a container of tomatoes that I cut & salted as I ate them – yum. Tomato Salads & Bruschetta have been on the [snack] menu multiple times the past few days as well. Stuffed Tomatoes of various sorts are another popular appetizer around here. We wanted a yummy fresh tomato dish the other day though. After making Zucchini Baba Ganoush, Tomatillo Salsa (a few times) & Tomato Soup – I decided that the house needed to smell yummy from some roasted veggies again.

This is SO simple and easy – roast up some fresh tomatoes with garlic, olive oil, & salt and you have your sauce. The only “work” to this is planning an hour ahead to roast up your tomatoes. So what are you waiting for – enjoy the flavors of summer and enjoy!!

Roasted Tomato Sauce

(amounts approximate)

• 2 pounds cherry/plum/small tomatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 4 + garlic cloves
• 1 Tablespoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes (optional)
• coarse sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 container pasta (linguine)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a 9-by-13-inch glass baking dish, combine tomatoes, garlic, oil, and crushed red pepper flakes (if using). Season with salt and pepper. Roast tomatoes until tender, juicy, and skins have popped, about 40 to 50 minutes.

Cook linguine according to package directions in salted water until cooked to desired texture. Serve into bowl then top with some more olive oil, the tomato mixture & some fresh basil, and a few shavings of fresh parmesan. Serve immediately. Yield: 2 – 4 servings (depending on appetites, I’m sure you know how far a box of pasta goes in your family).

*Note – I have also made this with making a quick tomato sauce (onion, garlic, peeled/diced fresh tomatoes, red wine) and mixing my pasta with that & serving the roasted tomatoes on top – that gave us two dimensions of tomato flavor!

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And I leave you with this, today’s Question of the Day… What is your favorite way to use garden ripened tomatoes?