Penne with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes, Capers, and Goat Cheese

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Slice tomatoes in half, lengthwise. Peel and mince shallot. Peel and slice garlic cloves.
Approx. 3–4 pints (2 lbs) 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 granulated 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) goat cheese