Feta & Heirloom Tomato Baked Pasta

Serves 4.

Ingredients

• 2 lb heirloom tomatoes, roughly chopped
• 8 oz feta, one big block (Winter Hill if you can get it)
• 1 yellow onion, cut into wedges
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 12 oz short-grain pasta
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 cup pre-seasoned croutons, broken up

Steps

1. Heat the oven. Preheat to 400°F.
2. Fill the pan. In an oven-safe pan, toss the tomatoes, onion, and garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Nestle the block of feta into the center.
3. Bake. Roast until the tomatoes have collapsed and the feta is soft and golden at the edges, about 35 minutes.
4. Toast the pine nuts. While it bakes, toast the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat, shaking often, until golden and fragrant. Watch them, they turn fast.
5. Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta in well-salted water until al dente. Reserve a splash of pasta water, then drain.
6. Blend the sauce. Blend the roasted pan contents until smooth, loosening with a little pasta water if needed.
7. Toss and top. Toss the sauce with the pasta. Finish each bowl with toasted pine nuts, grated Parmesan, and a good scatter of broken croutons.

Notes

The crouton trick is the move, it adds the crunch a blended sauce otherwise lacks. Break them coarsely so you get real texture, not dust.