Garden Fresh Dinners

With all the action our patio has been getting lately, I thought I would show some love to the rest of our backyard. Mainly, the garden. And by garden, I mean the explosion of plants and produce. Exhibit A:

As you can tell, things are a bit wild and untamed. But don't you worry, we're putting our herbs and veggies to good use.

Cucumbers, tomatoes, oregano, and basil in cucumber salad

Basil in pesto pasta. We also like to make pesto pizza.

Tomatoes in BLT sandwiches

And tomatoes and basil in my all-time summer favorite: roasted tomato pasta. Which continues my strange relationship with tomatoes. As much as I question raw tomatoes, something magical happens when you roast tomatoes, onions, and garlic with a little olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. The juices meld together and I can't get enough of it. I wanted to plant cherry tomatoes just to make this dish. I know...

This recipe isn't very scientific, so it's the perfect way to use up random veggies you might have hanging around. Just add a little of this and a little of that. Sometimes we only use tomatoes, garlic, and onions. Other times we add mushrooms or peppers. Last year, we added zucchini.

Roasted Tomato Pasta
Adapted from Smitten Kitchen's Roasted Tomatoes and Cipollini

Ingredients
1 pint of cherry tomatoes (or beefsteak tomatoes, roughly chopped)
Quarter onion (any color), sliced
Garlic, roughly chopped. As many cloves of garlic as you like ;)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Pepper

Pasta

Fresh chopped basil
Parmesan cheese

Directions
Preheat oven to 375*.

Spread tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a 9x13 baking pan. It can be glass or metal.

Drizzle with olive oil and a few pinches of kosher salt and fresh cracked pepper. Toss the tomatoes, onion, and garlic until they are completely coated.

Roast in the oven for about 45 minutes. Turn the tomatoes with a spatula or wooden spoon every 15 or 20 minutes to make sure they cook evenly.

While the tomatoes, etc. are roasting, prep your spaghetti or pasta according to the package's instructions.

Once the pasta is cooked, pour it into a bowl. Then pour the entire pan of tomatoes, onions, and garlic over the pasta. Don't forget the juices, they're the best part!

Garnish with fresh chopped basil and Parmesan.

Note: If you made extra roasted tomatoes (smarty pants), they go perfectly in an omelet.

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