Baby tomatoes roasted with garlic, olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar create an intensely delicious sauce for pasta in just 20 minutes. Roast tomatoes are also fabulous served with grilled lamb.

I like it served over fresh tagliatelle, topped with torn basil leaves and a soft goat cheese.

A simple, hearty pasta and very easy to make.

Tagliatelle with Roasted Baby Tomatoes, Basil & Goat Cheese

TAGLIATELLE with ROASTED BABY TOMATOES, GARLIC, BASIL & GOAT CHEESE

(Enough for 4 servings)

Ingredients:

2 pints/4 cups/1 liter measure of tiny tomatoes, any variety

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

A few chili flakes (for optional bite)

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

A good handful of fresh basil leaves, torn

3 oz/85g of soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Enough pasta for 4 people

Action:

Preheat the oven to 400F/200C.

Combine the tomatoes, garlic, olive oil and balsamic vinegar in a roasting pan. Season with sea salt and black pepper (add a few chili flakes if you want some heat) and toss well to coat the tomatoes. Roast them for about 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are starting to pop. Even if they don’t all burst open, they’ll still be cooked through. With a slotted spoon, transfer the tomatoes to a separate bowl and keep them warm.

Over a moderate heat, reduce the remaining liquid in the roasting pan by about half while you’re cooking the pasta.

Drain the pasta (if you use fresh pasta it only takes about 4 minutes to cook), tip it into a warmed serving bowl and pour the reduced sauce over, tossing well to combine.

Add the roasted tomatoes to the pasta along with any accumulated juices, then top with torn basil leaves and goat cheese.

Serve immediately (although it tastes wonderful at room temperature).