Pan Seared Crispy Pasta with Sweet Oven Roasted Tomatoes

This is that special time of year when tomatoes are at their very best. Sweet, meaty and sun-kissed, they are packed with flavour and shine at the heart of this dish. I came up with this recipe by way of a happy accident and it has since become a family favorite. You can get this on the table in about 20 minutes from scratch, or even better, it is a great way to jazz up pasta leftovers. I like mine veggie-style with only the tomato topping, but feel free to add some sliced sausage or chicken breast if you're looking for a protein punch. The crispy pasta perfectly hosts the deep sweetness of the tomatoes. It is really delicious. Enjoy!

250 gr pasta
4 large ripe tomatoes
1 large onion
4 sprigs thyme
bunch oregano
5-8 fresh safe leaves (optional)
2 tsps garlic powder
2 tbsps olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsps of your favourite cheese (for topping)

Prepare pasta according to instructions. Make sure to cook to al dente.
You can use any kind of pasta for this dish but I like to use a pasta that picks up sauce and tosses easily like bucatini, penne, or rigatoni.

Preheat oven on broil.

While water is coming to a boil, roughly slice tomatoes in 3/4 inch slabs and spread out on a baking tray.

Slice onions in 1/2 inch slices and mix in with tomatoes.

Season onion and tomatoes with olive oil, garlic powder, herbs and salt and pepper.

oven roasted tomatoes

Broil for 15 minutes.
I like to place my oven grill one below the top. This allows the tomatoes to be exposed to the high heat, let some juices evaporate so your mixture concentrates its flavour and doesn't end up to wet.

While tomatoes are in the oven, take the butter and sage and melt over low heat. Once butter is melted, let the melted butter cook over low heat until just starting to brown.

Add pasta to butter mixture. Turn up heat to high. Let pasta sit until it starts to brown and then toss to brown additional sides.

Once pan starts to smoke a little and most of the pasta has browned a little (5 minutes) remove from heat.

Top with a couple of heaping spoonfuls of tomato mixture. Sprinkle with some cheese and serve immediately.