Balsamic Roasted Tomato and Asparagus Pasta

About two months ago I checked out an America’s Test Kitchen cook book from my local library. I absolutely loved it! The technique I fell in love with was roasting tomatoes with balsamic vinegar. The oil and balsamic vinegar made a nice sauce for pasta and it was positively delicious. For me, this opened up a whole new realm of possibilities and this recipe was born. One other notable thing about this recipe is that it is very easy to prepare a few hours before hand, and it’s not something that will send your kitchen and dish pile into shambles.

The base of the dish, and stars of the show are three vegetables; shallots, asparagus and cherry tomatoes, roasted at 350 to perfection.

Toss the following in a medium size-mixing bowl: two pints of cherry tomatoes, halved, ½ pound of asparagus, stalky ends broken off, and one medium sized shallot, halved and thinly sliced.

Line a baking sheet with foil, and preheat your oven to 350. For the seasonings, you will need ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon sugar, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Toss the seasonings with the vegetables. Next add 1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar and 2 ½ tablespoons olive oil.

When it comes to balsamic vinegars you can use whatever you have on hand. My favorite mid-grade balsamic is this beaut from Trader Joe’s. A good thing to note is that flavor dramatically increases as the price also increases. Although you may roll your eyes when you see a 19 dollar bottle sitting next to a bottle that is a dollar fifty, but let me tell you my friend- THERE IS A FLAVOR DIFFERENCE.

Back to pasta; yes, throw the veggie mixture onto the lined baking sheet at 350 and let it roast for 35-40 minutes until the tomatoes are bursting and the peels are starting to shrivel.

When your veggies have 15 minutes left of roasting, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook 12-14 oz penne pasta according to package directions. **Side note: my biggest pet peeve is when recipes call for less than a whole package of the pasta I am using! It’s the worst. What are you going to use with the last 1.5 oz? Make a meal for your toddler and no one else? Anyway, I really like Barilla’s whole wheat Penne Pasta. It has one ingredient- and that’s whole wheat. Their boxes are 13.25 ounces. If the penne you are using is packaged in a pound, go ahead and use the whole box, but you may need to add some extra olive oil when serving.

Drain your pasta, return to pot and add your roasted vegetables. Make sure to scrape off all the bits and pieces. Add 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese and ¼ cup fresh basil leaves.

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Balsamic Roasted Tomato & Asparagus Pasta

Serves 5-6 (1 serving is 1.5 cups)

Ingredients:

2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

½ pound asparagus, ends trimmed

1 medium shallot, halved and thinly sliced

1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 ½ tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon granulated sugar

14 ounces whole wheat penne pasta

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped (confetti)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with heavy-duty tin foil. Toss the tomatoes, asparagus and shallot in a medium size bowl. Add the salt, pepper, sugar, red pepper flakes, balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Toss to coat and put on the foil lined baking sheet. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until tomatoes are bursting and skin is wrinkling.

When vegetables have 15 minutes left to roast, cook your penne according to package directions. Drain and put back into pot. Add the roasted vegetables, making sure to scrape off any juice or peelings. Toss with Parmesan cheese and basil. Serve immediately.

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If making ahead, you can prepare and roast the vegetables. Cover and place in refrigerator for up to 24 hours. When adding to the pasta, keep stove on low to warm to vegetables.