Easy Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Pasta

Ready in 35 minutes | Serves 4

The garlic roasted cherry tomatoes are really good. They are better than you would think they could be with a few ingredients. When you roast the cherry tomatoes, it brings out the taste that is already, in them. The garlic gets soft and sweet too it is almost like it is caramelized. You do not have to do anything to make this happen you just need to use heat and wait for a while. Then you can put the garlic cherry tomatoes with some hot pasta, and it makes a great dinner. The garlic roasted cherry tomatoes and pasta taste like they were cooked for a time but they were not it only took about half the time you would think.

Easy Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes Pasta

Why Roasting Makes Cherry Tomatoes Taste So Different

Raw cherry tomatoes are wet and not very tasty. When you cook them on heat their skin gets bubbly the liquid gets stronger and the sugar turns sweet. That is the difference between a tomato that tastes like water and one that tastes like candy. I have made this garlic roasted cherry tomatoes recipe using all kinds of cherry tomatoes from Sungold to regular ones from the grocery store and the cooking step is what makes the taste better, than any spice ever could.

One thing I found out after a burnt batches is that if you put thin slices of garlic at the start of roasting it can get burnt before the tomatoes are done. If your oven gets too hot then put the garlic in halfway through of at the very beginning.

Ingredients

For the Roasted Tomatoes

You will need a couple of pounds of cherry tomatoes. Try to get the ones that’re mixed colors if you can find them.
You also need eight to ten cloves. Slice these thinly.
Now you need one third of a cup of virgin olive oil.
Add one teaspoon of salt to this.
You also need half a teaspoon of pepper and one teaspoon of dried oregano.
If you want a heat you can add half a teaspoon of red pepper flakes. Cherry tomatoes are the thing, in this recipe and we are using extra virgin olive oil and garlic cloves to make them taste good.

For the Pasta

12 to 16 ounces spaghetti or linguine
Half a cup basil torn
Half a cup grated Parmesan plus more, for serving
One tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Extra olive oil for finishing

How to Make Easy Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomatoes in the Oven

To make this recipe you need to preheat the oven to 425°F. The oven needs to be hot so that the skins of the tomatoes blister. If the oven is not hot the tomatoes will just steam.
First you put the tomatoes on a baking sheet. You need to drizzle some oil on the tomatoes. Add some salt, pepper and oregano too. Then you toss the tomatoes so that they are coated with the oil and spices. After that you spread the tomatoes out in a layer. Do not put many tomatoes on the baking sheet because that will make them steam instead of roast.
Now you put the tomatoes in the oven. Roast them for 15 minutes. Then you add some sliced garlic on top of the tomatoes. Roast them for another 7 to 10 minutes. You need to check if the tomatoes have collapsed and released their juices.
While the tomatoes are roasting you can cook the pasta. Boil some salted water. Put the pasta in it. Cook the pasta until it is al dente. Before you drain the pasta save some of the water. You will need this water later to make the sauce.
Take the tomatoes out of the oven. Mash some of them, with a fork. You can do this on the baking sheet. Then you add the pasta, some basil, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and some of the saved pasta water. Toss everything together until the cheese melts. You get a nice sauce. Tomatoes make the sauce really tasty. The pasta water helps to make the sauce creamy. Tomatoes and pasta are a combination.

Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Garlic in an Air Fryer

If you don’t want to heat up a full oven, the air fryer version comes together almost as well and takes less time:

Take some tomatoes. Slice them up. Add some sliced garlic to the tomatoes. Now put the tomatoes. Garlic in a bowl with some oil, salt, pepper and oregano. Toss the tomatoes and the other stuff in the bowl.
Next put the tomatoes in the air fryer basket. Try to make one layer of tomatoes. You will probably have to do this in two batches if you have 2 pounds of tomatoes. This is because the basket is not very big.
Now cook the tomatoes in the air fryer at 380, °F for 10 to 12 minutes. You should shake the basket once while the tomatoes are cooking. Do this after 5 or 6 minutes.
Check on the tomatoes after 10 minutes. This is because air fryers are not all the same and some tomatoes have thin skin. These tomatoes might be done a little sooner.

When you cook garlic in an air fryer the garlic browns really fast. This is because the garlic is very close, to the part of the air fryer that gets hot. So, you should check on the garlic after you shake it halfway through cooking the garlic.

Why Your Sauce Might Turn Out Watery (And How to Fix It)

This is the most common issue with roasted tomato pasta. It usually comes down to one of three things:

Overcrowded pan: many tomatoes, in one layer means they steam instead of roast releasing liquid that never reduces.
Underdone roasting happens when the tomatoes still appear full and shiny of looking shriveled. If this is the case add another 5 minutes.
Much reserved pasta water is a problem. Add it a tablespoon at a time. You can always add more. You cannot take it back out.

Pro Tips

Score thick-skinned tomatoes with a small X on the bottom before roasting so they blister evenly instead of splitting unevenly.
No fresh basil? A handful of baby spinach stirred in at the end wilts nicely and adds color without changing the flavor much.
Make it heartier with white beans, grilled chicken, or Italian sausage stirred in at the final toss.
Batch it: roasted tomatoes freeze well for up to 2 months in an airtight container — great for a faster dinner later.

What to Serve with Garlic Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta

I had a green salad, with a sharp vinaigrette and it was great. The vinaigrette cut through the richness nicely. I also had bread and it is a must have for soaking up leftover sauce. If you want to have herb flavor, easy basil recipes are a good choice. Easy basil recipes pair well with the salad.

Storage and Reheating

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of water or olive oil — the microwave tends to make the pasta gummy since there’s no fat to loosen the sauce back up.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use regular tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes?

Yes,. First cut larger tomatoes into 1-inch pieces. Cherry tomatoes work better because their higher sugar-to-water ratio caramelizes faster. Their skins blister reliably at high heat. Cherry tomatoes work better because their higher sugar-to-water ratio caramelizes faster. Their skins blister reliably, at high heat.

Can I make the roasted tomatoes ahead of time?

You can roast them up to 2 days ahead. Store them in the fridge. When you are ready to eat reheat roast them in a skillet, for a minutes. Then toss roast them with pasta. This way the flavors of roast them will not taste flat.

What’s the best pasta shape for this recipe?

I like using noodles like spaghetti or linguine with the chunky tomato sauce. They seem to coat well. If you do not have noodles you can use short shapes, like penne or fusilli. These noodles work well with the chunky tomato sauce too.

Can I make this without an oven or air fryer?

You can cook the tomatoes in a covered pan on fire for around 12 to 15 minutes but the result won’t be the same, as when you use a dry oven or an air fryer. The tomatoes won’t get the nice brown spots that form when they are cooked in those ways.

Is this recipe freezer-friendly?

The roasted tomatoes can be frozen by themselves for a long time like, up to 2 months.

When you want to freeze them it is better to do it without the pasta.

This is because the pasta becomes really soft and mushy when it is thawed.

So it is an idea to freeze the roasted tomatoes on their own.

I really like this dinner because it is very easy to make. It only needs five ingredients. I can cook everything in one pan. The best part is that it tastes like I spent a lot of time making it. I did not. This dinner has stayed in my dinner plans for a long time because of this. I keep making this dinner with five ingredients. It always turns out great. Try the Bread and Butter Pickle Recipe with Brown Sugar: quick refrigerator pickle recipes] as a tangy side if you want to round out the meal or check out: summer roasted sweet potatoes] for another sheet-pan dinner that works the same way.