Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

I've been meaning to post this dish...I make it a few times a month, and it is simple and delicious!!! All you have to do is throw a pint or 2 of cherry or grape tomatoes onto a sheet pan, cover in olive oil, salt, pepper, and some chopped garlic if you have any on hand. Roast at 375 degrees until the tomatoes burst open. As the tomatoes are roasting, have your pasta boiling. Save a cupful of your pasta water, just incase you need it for the "sauce". When the tomatoes are all burst open, and your house smells like heaven, take the pan out of the oven and pour every last bit from the pan onto your drained pasta. Toss around, and add some pasta water if you want it a little more saucy. Add some fresh basil if you have it, and then top it all with some parmesan cheese...


HOLD UP!


Let's talk about parmesan...now I know you've heard Food Network chefs go on and on about Parmigiano-Reggiano. Is it delicious and mind blowing? YES. Is it expensive? YES. Do you absolutely have to have it in every single dish? NO. There are some great alternatives that work great (and the canned stuff is not what I'm talking about!) I really like Sarvecchio, which is actually a domestic parmesan and runs around $8/pound at whole foods, compared to PR which will cost you around $20/pound. You can also buy Regginito, which is a cheese from Argentina...it has a similar flavor to PR and is definitely worth trying! It's about $10/pound.

Here's what it looks like at my house:


I highly recommend you give it a try...it is really really really easy, and the flavors are amazing!