Pasta with Roasted Tomato Sauce, Mint and Feta
- PREP 10min
- COOK 50min
- TOTAL 1hrs
Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in almost anything — especially when it comes to tomatoes. Use any variety of tomato for this. A variety pack of cherry tomatoes with different colors creates a very pretty sauce. Mint is lovely here, especially with the feta, although fresh basil is an excellent substitute.
You Will Need
1 pound tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, left unpeeled
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 (14-ounce) can tomatoes, preferably whole peeled tomatoes
1 medium onion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped, plus more for serving
1 pound dried pasta such as spaghetti or angel hair
2 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
Directions
Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Toss tomatoes onto a rimmed baking sheet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, about 1/4 teaspoon of salt and the unpeeled garlic cloves. Spread into one layer then roast until soft, but beginning to brown, 25 to 30 minutes.
About 20 minutes before the tomatoes have finished roasting, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pot over medium low heat. Add the onions and red pepper flakes, then cook, stirring often, until softened and sweet, about 10 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with juices as well as a generous pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered and stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
Add the roasted tomatoes and fresh mint to the sauce. Squeeze the softened garlic out of the papery outer layers and into the sauce. Use an immersion blender to puree the sauce until relatively smooth, but leaving some texture. Taste then season with salt and pepper as needed. (We usually need to add another generous pinch of salt). Use the sauce now or cool, cover and chill up to 3 days.
When the sauce is done, cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water until it is tender but not mushy. Toss with some of the roasted tomato sauce, thinning with a little of the hot cooking water as necessary. Serve with more fresh mint and the feta cheese on top.