Ditalini with Roasted Tomato Sauce and Goat Cheese

Description

Make this because it tastes awesome. What the hot oven does to the deep red San Marzano tomatoes is a wonder to behold, and produces a pasta sauce with some serious depth of flavor. The always entertaining ditalini are a perfect medium for the rich sauce, smoky oregano, and creamy goat cheese.

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 1 (28 ounce) can whole Italian plum tomatoes (such as San Marzano)
  • ½ onion, sliced
  • 6 cloves garlic, crushed
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 2 cups cold water
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano
  • salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 1 (16 ounce) package ditalini pasta
  • 2 tablespoons fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  2. Drizzle olive oil over the bottom of a 9×13-inch casserole dish. Pour tomatoes and their juices into the dish; cut each tomato into 3 pieces. Sprinkle in onion
  3. garlic
  4. red pepper flakes
  5. and 2 teaspoons oregano; stir to combine.
  6. Roast in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove dish from oven
  7. stir briefly
  8. return to oven and roast for an additional 15 minutes.
  9. Transfer roasted tomato mixture to a saucepan; pour in water. Process mixture with an immersion blender or potato masher until desired sauce consistency is reached. Stir in 1 teaspoon oregano. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
  10. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling
  11. stir in the ditalini and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered
  12. stirring occasionally
  13. until the pasta has cooked through but is still firm to the bite
  14. 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well and return to pot.
  15. Pour tomato sauce over ditalini; stir to combine. Stir in goat cheese.

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 1 hr 30 mins

Total Time: 1 hr 45 mins

Servings: 6

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