Penne with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Capers, and Goat Cheese

This quick and delicious pasta dish will have you dreaming about a trip to the Mediterranean. This is one of my all-time favorite weeknight meals. It is so light and fresh tasting. 

This is a great recipe to have fun and experiment with. The proportions here don’t make much of a difference and can definitely be adjusted to suit your mood or family’s taste. Those veggies you have that are about to spoil? Throw them in! Like spice? Double the amount of red pepper flakes! Feel free to add your own spin.

I always try to mention when a particular “splurge” is worth it or not. If you can swing it, I do recommend splurging on a good quality extra virgin olive oil for this recipe. The EVOO creates most of the “body” of the sauce, so you will definitely notice the difference a higher-quality olive oil will make to the overall flavor.

Quick pasta tip: when cooking pasta, taste the cooking water before adding in the noodles (e.g., penne, spaghetti, macaroni, etc.). The water should taste salty, like a well-seasoned soup.

First, preheat your oven to 350°F.

I like to then prepare all of the vegetables: slice the tomatoes in half, lengthwise; peel and mince the shallot; and peel and slice the garlic cloves.

In a small bowl, toss the minced shallot in about 1 teaspoon of olive oil and set this aside.

In a large bowl, gently toss the sliced tomatoes with the olive oil and mix in the sliced garlic, along with the capers, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes.

Spread the tomato mixture in an even layer onto a sheet pan. Scatter the oiled shallots over the top of the tomato mixture.

Roast the tomato mixture in the oven for about an hour, until the tomato skins are slightly shriveled and the shallots are lightly browned.

Meanwhile, bring 4 to 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add in the penne pasta and cook for about 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until al dente (i.e. firm to the bite). Drain the pasta and return it to the pot, reserving about ½ cup of cooking water.

Pour the tomato mixture onto the pasta and toss to combine. Taste for proper seasoning and consistency, adding in a little of the reserved cooking water if necessary.

Serve hot, sprinkling the goat cheese generously over the pasta.

Penne with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Capers, and Goat Cheese This quick and delicious pasta dish will have you dreaming about a trip to the Mediterranean. This is one of my all-time favorite weeknight meals. It is so light and fresh tasting. 5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 20 minutes mins

Servings 4 people

Category Savory

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• Approx. 3–4 pints (2 pounds) cherry (or grape) tomatoes, halved lengthwise
• 1 shallot, peeled and minced
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup capers
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ½ tsp white sugar
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 box (approx. 410 g) penne pasta
• 1 large pack (approx. 300 g) soft, unripened goat's milk cheese

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Slice tomatoes in half, lengthwise. Peel and mince shallot. Peel and slice garlic cloves.
  Approx. 3–4 pints (2 pounds) cherry (or grape) tomatoes, halved lengthwise

  1 shallot, peeled and minced

  4 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced
• In a small bowl, toss minced shallot in 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Set aside.
• In a large bowl, gently toss sliced tomatoes with olive oil. Mix in sliced garlic, capers, sugar, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes.
  ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

  ¼ cup capers

  ½ tsp white sugar

  1 tsp kosher salt

  ¼ tsp ground black pepper

  ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
• Spread tomato mixture in an even layer onto a sheet pan. Scatter oiled shallots over top of tomato mixture.
• Place on the middle rack of a preheated oven and roast until tomato skins are slightly shriveled and shallots are lightly browned (about 1 hour).
• Meanwhile, bring 4 to 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in a large pot. Add penne pasta and cook, stirring often, until al dente, or firm to the bite (about 10 to 12 minutes). Drain pasta and return it to the pot, reserving ½ cup cooking water.
  1 box (approx. 410 g) penne pasta
• Pour tomato mixture onto pasta and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and consistency. Add in some reserved cooking water, if necessary.
• Serve hot, passing goat cheese generously over pasta, as desired.
  1 large pack (approx. 300 g) soft, unripened goat's milk cheese