Perfect for dinner any day of the week, this super-light, flavorful tomato pasta lets the oven do all the work. The tomatoes cook down and coat the pasta making every bite so cozy and delicious. You just have to try it!
This pasta is a favorite of mine for sure. I love a good tomato-based pasta dish and this one is too easy! I love making a big batch because it reheats well and honestly just tastes better the next day.
Confiting the tomatoes, garlic, and shallots breaks everything down into a soft and jammy consistency. All the acidity disappears and the sweet flavors are enhanced. Even though the recipe only has a few ingredients, this method of making the tomatoes helps add complexity to the flavor profile.
Directions
This recipe is so simple…the hardest part is prepping all the ingredients to put into the oven.
- Cherry tomatoes: You can substitute this with other types of tomatoes, but I find that cherry tomatoes get the jammiest flavor so try to use them if you can. After washing them, pat them dry before throwing them into your baking tray to prevent oil splattering in your oven. When water and oil mix, that’s when the mess happens so patting it will dry off the tomatoes as much as we can.
- Garlic: Crush and peel your garlic. I highly suggest using fresh garlic cloves here. I usually have a bag of frozen pre-peeled garlic cloves, but fresh garlic just has a stronger flavor that can’t be beat.
- Shallots: The shallots also break down and get jammy in the oven, and offer an extra level of complexity to the flavor. If you don’t have any, you can skip the shallots—don’t substitute with onions!
- Basil: My fresh herb of choice here would be basil because c’mon…tomatoes + garlic + basil = iconic flavors. However thyme, oregano, rosemary, etc would all be good. Since the flavors are very simple, the herb you choose will definitely change the flavor profile. If no fresh herbs are available, use 1 tsp of your choice of dried herb.
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil would taste the best here, but avocado oil would work too.
I highly recommend using a baking tray or oven safe baking pan that just fits all the ingredients (this is my quarter sheet). If you use a tray that is too large, the ingredients will be spread out too much and the olive oil layer will be too thin, so there’s a higher chance things will burn instead of becoming jammy. Before I bought a smaller tray this size, I would make a makeshift tray with aluminum foil in a bigger tray.
After pouring the olive oil all over the tomatoes in the tray, give everything a good mix so the ingredients are evenly distributed and all coated in oil. If using fresh herbs, try to push them to the bottom so they don’t burn in the oven.
Halfway through baking (~30 minutes), take the tray out and GENTLY press each tomato to push the juices out. Careful not to burn yourself! If the tomatoes are not popping easily, gently pierce them with your fork and press down slowly. Then, place the tray back in the oven to bake for another 30 minutes.
This helps create a jammy mixture at the end of the 60 minutes. The juices from the tomatoes will evaporate a little and the tomatoes will thicken.
Once the tomatoes are done, toss with your pasta and stir vigorously until the tomatoes break apart and coat the pasta. Breaking the tomatoes apart in the pasta will take 1-2 minutes of pretty aggressive stirring. Top with burrata cheese, extra fresh herbs, and crushed red pepper. The burrata is definitely optional, but it jazzes up a simple recipe. So good!!
Tomato Confit Pasta
AuthorTiffany AngelaCategoryItalianDifficultyBeginnerWhen you need a simple and flavorful recipe that lets the oven do all the work, make this pasta!
Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash and pat dry your tomatoes, smash and peel your garlic, and thinly slice your shallots. Add the tomatoes, garlic, shallots, and herbs onto your baking tray. Pour 1/3 cup of olive oil on top (can use up to 1/2 cup if needed depending on size of tray), season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper, and mix everything so all ingredients are evenly dispersed and coated in oil. If using fresh herbs, cover them with the tomatoes to prevent burning.
Bake in the oven for 60 minutes. At the halfway mark (30 minutes), take the tray out and press the juices out of the tomatoes by pressing down with a fork. DO THIS GENTLY! The tomatoes will be hot and if you press hard or too quickly, the juice might squirt and burn you or make a mess. Give the tomato mixture a good stir and place back into the oven for the remaining 30 minutes.
When the tomatoes are almost done, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Once the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat and drain completely. Add the tomato confit mixture from the oven into the pot and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes. As you stir, the tomatoes will break apart and coat the pasta better.
Plate and top with torn burrata cheese and additional basil and crushed red pepper (optional)!
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Wash and pat dry your tomatoes, smash and peel your garlic, and thinly slice your shallots. Add the tomatoes, garlic, shallots, and herbs onto your baking tray. Pour 1/3 cup of olive oil on top (can use up to 1/2 cup if needed depending on size of tray), season with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper, and mix everything so all ingredients are evenly dispersed and coated in oil. If using fresh herbs, cover them with the tomatoes to prevent burning.
Bake in the oven for 60 minutes. At the halfway mark (30 minutes), take the tray out and press the juices out of the tomatoes by pressing down with a fork. DO THIS GENTLY! The tomatoes will be hot and if you press hard or too quickly, the juice might squirt and burn you or make a mess. Give the tomato mixture a good stir and place back into the oven for the remaining 30 minutes.
When the tomatoes are almost done, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Once the pasta is al dente, turn off the heat and drain completely. Add the tomato confit mixture from the oven into the pot and stir vigorously for 1-2 minutes. As you stir, the tomatoes will break apart and coat the pasta better.
Plate and top with torn burrata cheese and additional basil and crushed red pepper (optional)!
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