Description
This Roasted Tomato and Garlic Ricotta Pasta is a flavorful and comforting dish featuring caramelized roasted tomatoes and garlic blended with creamy ricotta cheese. Tossed with perfectly cooked pasta and fresh basil, it’s a simple yet elegant recipe ideal for a quick weeknight dinner or a cozy meal at home.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Main Ingredients
- 450 g (1 pound) ripe medium vine tomatoes, halved
- 1 small whole garlic head (or 4 large garlic cloves, unpeeled)
- 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 225 g (8 oz) pasta (spaghetti, fettuccine, or other type)
- 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
- 120 g (1/2 cup) ricotta cheese
- Handful fresh basil leaves
For Serving
- Grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh basil leaves
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Set your oven to 200°C (400°F) to prepare for roasting the tomatoes and garlic.
- Prepare Vegetables: Place the halved tomatoes on a baking dish. Cut the top off the whole garlic head to expose the cloves and place it next to the tomatoes.
- Season and Roast: Drizzle olive oil over the tomatoes and garlic, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes until tomatoes start caramelizing.
- Final Roast Stage: Remove the dish, cover with kitchen foil, and return to the oven for another 10 minutes to soften the garlic and blister the tomatoes fully.
- Cook Pasta: While roasting, cook the pasta al dente in heavily salted boiling water as per package instructions. Reserve about 240 ml (1 cup) of the pasta cooking water before draining.
- Make Sauce: Squeeze soft roasted garlic cloves from their skins into a blender along with the roasted tomatoes, fresh basil, chilli flakes if using, ricotta cheese, and 60 ml (1/4 cup) of the reserved pasta water. Blend until smooth.
- Toss Pasta with Sauce: In a large skillet or pan, combine the blended sauce with the cooked pasta. Toss well to coat and heat over medium heat until warmed through. Add more pasta water if the sauce is too thick.
- Season and Serve: Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper if needed. Serve the pasta in bowls, garnished with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil leaves for brightness and flavor.
Notes
- Use ripe, medium vine tomatoes for best roasting and flavor.
- Do not overcook pasta — it should be al dente to hold up well with the sauce.
- Adjust the amount of chili flakes to your heat preference, or omit for a mild flavor.
- Reserve pasta water carefully; it helps to loosen the sauce consistency without diluting flavor.
- Fresh basil enhances the freshness of the dish and should be added both to the sauce and as a garnish.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (about 1/3 of recipe)
- Calories: 400 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 220 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 15 g
- Cholesterol: 25 mg
