Penne with Roasted Tomatoes and Garlic

3 large tomatoes, cut into wedges (about 2 lbs)
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1(15 ounce) can cannellini beans
1/2 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan


Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Slice each tomato into 8 wedges and discard the seeds. Put the tomato wedges and garlic into a 9 by 13-inch roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and a few turns of pepper. Roast in the oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

Drain the beans into a large colander in the sink. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta into the colander containing the beans, so the hot pasta water will warm the beans. Return drained pasta and beans to the pasta pot.

When the tomatoes are done, pick out the garlic cloves, squeeze the garlic out of the skin into a small bowl and mash with a fork. Pour the roasted tomatoes into the pasta pot, add the garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the basil and additional salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to combine. Serve topped with the Parmesan.


RESULTS: I'm definitely making this again, especially with tomato season just starting. The tomatoes got very sweet, like sun dried tomatoes, and it was really great with the basil. The garlic was very mild. Next time, I might try roasting the tomatoes with artichoke hearts, too, to see what happens.

When I pulled the tomatoes out of the oven, the roasting pan was a mess. A lot of the tomatoes had carmelized to the bottom of the pan. The pasta and beans were looking a little dry, (I didn't use enough tomatoes) so I thought I'd just deglazed the roasting pan with water and use that to moisten the pasta. That was ok, but I think even better would have been to use a little dollop of tomato paste along with the water, or maybe save some of the pasta water and use that. I just think I can definitely do better for sauce than just water.