Roasted Garden Tomato Pasta Sauce

The best thing I ever did was start growing my own food. If you’ve been following along, you’ll know I planted a few tomato seeds that ended up feeding our family many times over. From fresh salsa to sun-dried tomatoes, I’ve made the most of every harvest, but this roasted pasta sauce is my favourite. It’s rich, simple, flavourful and lets the tomatoes truly shine. It’s also one of my go-to ways to get more vegetables into the kids without a fuss. Sometimes I stir through a couple of tins of salmon to boost the protein, and they love it just as much.

Serves: 4-5

Preparation time: 20 mins

Cooking time: 45 mins

Ingredients:

• 3 punnets cherry tomatoes

• 1 large capsicum, deseeded

• 1 whole bulb garlic, halved horizontally

• 2 large brown onions, peeled and cut into large chunks

• 1 medium red chilli, deseeded and cut finely (optional)

• 8 sprigs fresh thyme

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tsp sea salt

•  Pasta of choice, to serve

• 1 cup fresh basil leaves, plus extra to serve

• 100 g goat’s cheese, crumbled

  
  

Method

Step 1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Step 2. Place the tomatoes, capsicum, garlic, chilli (if using) and onion in a large baking dish. Scatter over the thyme, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss gently to coat.

Step 3. Roast for 40–45 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and lightly charred.

Step 4. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their skins and discard the thyme stems. Transfer the vegetables to a food processor, add the basil and blend until smooth or your desired consistency is reached.

Step 5. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

Step 6. If needed, add ½-1 cup of the reserved pasta water to the sauce to loosen it, blending again until silky.

Step 7. Return the pasta to a large pan or dish, pour over the sauce and toss well to coat.

Serve topped with crumbled goat’s cheese and extra basil.

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