Type “homemade tomato sauce” into your Google search box and you’ll turn up nearly 400 million results. Some demand hours at the stove, others are fabulously unfussy. This smashed tomato pasta leans heavily towards the easy end of the spectrum. It calls for just five ingredients, takes about 10 minutes of hands-on time, and results in a sauce you’ll find yourself turning to again and again.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
●Igredients
●Instructions
●Serve
Ingredients
●2 1/4 pounds Roma (aka plum) tomatoes
●1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more for salting the pasta water
●1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
●1/4 cup homemade or store-bought basil pesto, plus more to taste
●1 pound dry fusilli pasta
●1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to pass around at the table
Method
1.Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.Roast the tomatoes:
Cut the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Arrange them cut-side-up in a 9×13-inch baking dish. Sprinkle the salt and drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes.
Roast them until juicy and soft enough that they give with relative ease under the pressure of a fork, about 1 hour—cook time will vary depending on the size and ripeness of the tomatoes.
3.Cook the pasta:
When the tomatoes are nearly done, set a large pot of water over high heat and season it with enough salt that it tastes like the sea. Let it come up to a boil and cook the pasta until al dente following box instructions. Drain well in a colander set in the sink.
4.Smash the tomatoes and toss with pasta:
Use a fork to mash the tomatoes while still in the baking pan into a chunky sauce. Add the pesto and stir to blend into the sauce. Alternatively, put the tomatoes and pesto in a blender and blend into a purée—the sauce will be creamier. Taste and add more pesto and more salt, if needed.
Toss the cooked pasta and sauce together in pot or in a large serving bowl. Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Refrigerate leftover pasta in a covered container for up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or on the stove with a little water, if needed.