Chef notes
This is a version of the social media recipe that started the whole viral oven pasta sauce trend a few years ago. In the original, a block of feta is used, but I have found that goat cheese bakes and melts a lot more creamy and luscious! (Was that sentence grammatically sound? I thinketh not. Creamily and lusciously? Words are hard sometimes.) This pasta is tomato-basil paradise, so I'll stop worrying about my words and just tell ya how to make it!
Technique tip: Don't underestimate the importance of using pasta water to get the sauce to the perfect consistency. It's hot and starchy, so it's just what the sauce needs!
Swap option: You can ue a block of feta, which was the original viral version. Add diced rotisserie chicken or cooked shrimp when you add the pasta to the baking dish. Stir it all together.
Ingredients
- 2 pints grape tomatoes
- 1 shallot, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, sliced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh oregano leaves
- kosher salt and ground black pepper
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 (8-ounce) log goat cheese
- 8 ounces campanelle (or farfalle or other similar short pasta)
- 2 tablespoons prepared pesto
- 8 fresh basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Preparation
1.Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2.Place the tomatoes in a 9- by 13-inch baking dish then add the shallot, garlic, olive oil, oregano leaves, a pinch of salt and black pepper and the pepper flakes. Toss until everything is mixed then nestle the log of goat cheese in the center. Roast until the tomatoes have blistered and the goat cheese has softened, about 25 minutes.
3.Bring a pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and when the tomatoes have about 10 minutes left, add the pasta to cook. Drain it when it's al dente, reserving the pasta water.
4.Remove the dish from the oven then pour in the pasta while it's still hot! Add the pesto, drizzle in about 1/3 cup of the hot pasta water and gently stir everything together until the tomatoes start to break apart and the pasta is coated in the creamy sauce. Add a little more pasta water if needed for consistency.
5.Sprinkle on the basil before serving!
From THE PIONEER WOMAN COOKS: DINNER'S READY! by Ree Drummond. Copyright © 2023 by Ree Drummond. Reprinted by permission of William Morrow Cookbooks, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.
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