This roasted cherry tomato pasta recipe is one of those hearty bowls of homey goodness that’s quite hard to resist diving fork-first in to. Atop a creamy hummus-coated pasta, which itself teems with fresh herbs and sautéed onion and garlic, are gloriously juicy and bulbous roasted cherry tomatoes, along with a dusting of vegan parmesan. Plus, it’s exceptionally easy-to-make, beautiful to look at, and truly delicious!
It’s difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a homegrown tomato.”
– Lewis Grizzard
How To Roast Cherry Tomatoes
Roasting cherry tomatoes isn’t that hard, and it transforms the little acidic red fruits into sweet and tangy ornaments that burst with flavor. The cherry tomatoes, once roasted, will burst in the process of being eaten and so create for your dish an excellent tomato-y sauce, in combination with the hummus and lemon juice.
- De-stem the cherry tomatoes, and spread them out evenly across a large baking sheet – about 2 pounds of cherry tomatoes should suffice to fill one completely.
- Drizzle some olive oil over the tomatoes, enough until they are mostly coated. Roll them around on the baking sheet to coat all the surface of the tomatoes, and then sprinkle atop some sea salt and black pepper – just a light dusting should do.
- Lastly, roast the cherry tomatoes in an oven at 400°F (205°C) for about 12 – 14 minutes, until they’re beautifully wilted, have release some of their juice, and are tender when poked with a fork.
There you have it – roasted cherry tomatoes for your roasted cherry tomato pasta.
P.S. – save the juice that seeps out of the cherry tomatoes during the process of roasting. You can use it to add flavor to your pasta, adding a dollop or two to your pasta as you garnish with the roasted cherry tomatoes.
It took me all my life to learn how to salt a tomato.”
– Eric Ripert
The Best Vegan Parmesean Cheese?!
Even a couple years ago, I would have scoffed in incredulity at the claim that vegan cheese could be as good and as meltable as non-vegan cheese.
But as of this year, I can say with utter confidence that there is now a vegan parm that is as good as – if not better than – the original thing.
Violife Just Like Parmesan Cheese is the proof.
Amazingly tasty and cheesy, and super simple to grate with a microplane, this incredible vegan cheese adds class, aesthetic, and parm-y flavor atop any pasta – done 100% vegan.
Give it a try atop this roasted cherry tomato pasta recipe!
Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad.”
– Brian O’Driscoll
Hummus for Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta
Hummus is one of those super simple and exceptionally creamy elements that can instantly add texture, flavor and pizzazz to any pasta dish.
For this roasted cherry tomato pasta, the hummus – along with the juicy roasted cherry tomatoes and lemon juice – helps to create the illusion of a velvety sauce, all without having to do any work to make an actual sauce.
Now the question remains: which kind of hummus should I use? And the answer is quite simple: whatever you have available, really.
Preferably, any hummus that’s classically flavored should work wonders. I believe for this recipe, I had a lightly herbed Mediterranean-style hummus; but in retrospect, a simpler flavor would probably let the other tastes (tomatoes, herbs, onions) come through more.
Alternatively, you could also make your own hummus from scratch for this roasted cherry tomato pasta, if you’re feeling ambitious. I would recommend this roasted garlic hummus!
A village becomes a town when a tomato trades before it reaches the belly.”
– Mantaranjot Mangat
Pasta Lovers, Unite!
Tofu Ricotta Stuffed Shell Pasta
Tomatoes should be accorded with respect, for without them, Christmas stew wouldn’t exist.”
– Michael Bassey Johnson
I hope that you enjoyed this roasted cherry tomato pasta recipe. If you did, consider leaving me a comment and recipe rating before you go!
Roasted Cherry Tomato & Hummus Pasta
Equipment
- Large baking Sheet
- Large mixing bowl
Ingredients
- ~ 2 lbs cherry tomatoes, (de-stemmed) enough to fill a large baking sheet
- Drizzle of olive oil, ~ 1 tablespoon, enough to coat tomatoes
- Pinch of sea salt & black pepper
- Handful (~ 4 oz.) whole-wheat semolina spaghetti pasta, cooked until al dente
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ red onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup fresh basil
- 1 cup fresh spinach
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice, plus some zest
- 3 tablespoons plain hummus
- Some ground black pepper
- Some Violife Just Like Parm, as garnish
Instructions
- Begin by spreading the de-stemmed cherry tomatoes out across a baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper, and then bake them in an oven on 400°F (205°C) for 12 – 14 minutes, until tender and slightly wilted.
- Meanwhile, in a large pot of water, boil the spaghetti pasta of your choice according to the instructions. My whole-wheat semolina spaghetti pasta took about 10 – 11 minutes.
- While all of that is happening, in a cast-iron pan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil, sauté the red onion and garlic for about 6 – 7 minutes. Transfer the sautéed veggies to a large mixing bowl, and add to the mixing bowl the basil and spinach, too.
- Once the pasta is done, drain it, and then add a majority of the warm pasta to the large mixing bowl that has the sautéed veggies and basil and spinach – this should wilt the greens. Also, at this time, add the lemon juice and hummus. Mix everything together really well, until the spinach and basil are fully wilted, and the hummus is evenly distributed throughout. Add the rest of the pasta after you've mix in the hummus, if you think it needs more of a pasta body.
- Plate the hummus pasta, and then remove the cherry tomatoes from the oven. Garnish the bowls of pasta with the roasted cherry tomatoes, as well as some of the tomato juice that accumulated in the baking sheet during the baking process (that's flavor!). Garnish finally with some Violife Parm!
Nutrition
May you have good food in good company,
That Vegan Nephew
This delightful dish is so summery with it’s dressing of bright cherry tomatoes. But paired with basil and spinach and a dusting of snowy Parmesan it becomes a dish for the Season as well as a complete one dish meal most delectable. Thank you Vegan Nephew.
I made this tonight – it was very good !! only difference – i didn’t put as much tomatoes (just one 250 gr. basket).
My roommate and I loved it !
So glad you enjoyed it, Cami! Thank you for the feedback! 😀