Baked Tomato Pasta Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 oz pasta of your choice
• 4 oz. Tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 basil, julienned
• 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts
• 1 tablespoon pan-fried lardon (bacon fat)
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to season

Instructions

1. Preheat oven at 350F. Wash and cut the tomato in half. You don’t even have to peel it. After being baked the skin will slip off easily. Place on a baking pan and drizzle with olive oil. Drizzle the garlic with olive oil and wrapped in foil. Put both garlic and tomato in oven and bake for at least 30 minutes. The tomato will be a little runny after 30 minutes. Continue baking longer if you prefer it to be a little “saucier” (check after another 20 minutes).
2. Remove the tomato and garlic. Mash the garlic with the back of the a spoon in a large mixing bowl. If you do not like tomato seeds, scope them out with a spoon. It’ll come off easily. I love the seed and pulpy part so I mash everything with the garlic, salt, pepper, and more olive oil. Set aside.
3. Cook pasta until al dente or longer depending on how you like it. Drain and mix with the above. Throw in the pine nuts, lardon, basil, and it’s done!