Using up produce + tweak recipe = Win!

[cgraz]

So we had these little tomatoes hanging around from when I bought stuff to make a veggie tray...and I hate to throw them out, but neither of us really eat them as is. I'd remembered hearing about roasting cherry tomatoes to toss over pasta, and I found this recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/roasted-cherry-tomatoes-with-angel-hair-pasta-recipe/index.html

Seemed like a pretty good base recipe to use to throw something together, even just using the cherry tomatoes that I had on hand, instead of the varieties in the recipe - for technique, it would work. I didn't have all the fresh herbs it called for, so I just used dried. I also didn't have the pine nuts, so I skipped those too. And I didn't have ricotta salata (and have never seen it in my local grocery store, for that matter) so I just used regular part-skim ricotta.

I thought it was missing a little something to make it more of a meal. So I decided to add a couple of sausages I had in the freezer - leftover Italian chicken sausage - I crumbled it up and browned it. Plus, I added some caramelized onions, cooked really slowly while the tomatoes were roasting.

I have to say, tossing it all together with just that cup of ricotta really made it come together in a creamy and delicious sauce, with just enough sweetness from the onions and the roasted tomatoes. It was excellent, and worked well with thin pasta like angel hair. Served it with some salad, and bread toasted in the oven with olive oil for dipping.

So yay for using up produce and experimenting with my own tweaks to the recipe, and coming up with a big win for dinner.  If anyone else is ever looking for something to do with tomatoes, I highly recommend this!

[Run Amok]

Yay! Glad you liked it! Roasting veggies is my go-to thing for just about anything that's a little past its prime- but especially tomatoes. If you can't use them right away, you can definitely freeze them. I just put them on a tray with a bunch of onions/shallots, garlic, and maybe some herbs (I have a huge rosemary bush in my back yard, but thyme and sage are also nice). They are great with pasta, also with sauteed broccoli, or other roasted veggies, or on pizzas.

[cgraz]

Yeah, I love roasting veggies and sometimes it seems as if I'm roasting something at every meal...sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, carrots...yum. I don't know why I never did it with tomatoes before. Well, maybe I do - because I don't really like tomatoes to begin with, but roasting turns them into something I do like and can definitely work with! That little bit of sweetness was just right, and it does concentrate the flavor in a nice way.

[nadra24]

Yay! Glad you liked it! Roasting veggies is my go-to thing for just about anything that's a little past its prime- but especially tomatoes. If you can't use them right away, you can definitely freeze them. I just put them on a tray with a bunch of onions/shallots, garlic, and maybe some herbs (I have a huge rosemary bush in my back yard, but thyme and sage are also nice). They are great with pasta, also with sauteed broccoli, or other roasted veggies, or on pizzas.

Am I understanding correctly that you roast the tomatoes, then freeze them?  And you just reheat and use them?  This is good to know, especially since I usually only have one tomato or a handful of cherry tomatoes that are past their prime, and not usually enough to use in a recipe for two people.  Freezing until I have enough for both of us would be great.

[Run Amok]

Am I understanding correctly that you roast the tomatoes, then freeze them?  And you just reheat and use them?  This is good to know, especially since I usually only have one tomato or a handful of cherry tomatoes that are past their prime, and not usually enough to use in a recipe for two people.  Freezing until I have enough for both of us would be great.

Yes, although I think roasting a handful of tomatoes would be kindof a pita, tbh. I'd probably just make a little salad. Tomatoes are fantastic mixed with a little salt, peper, garlic, and a generous squeeze of lemon.

I like to roast off vegies in bulk and then freeze individual portions. That is my version of once a month cooking- that way I always have a veggie side. Roasted veggies seem to freeze and reheat in the microwave exceptionally well.

[nadra24]

Yes, although I think roasting a handful of tomatoes would be kindof a pita, tbh. I'd probably just make a little salad. Tomatoes are fantastic mixed with a little salt, peper, garlic, and a generous squeeze of lemon.

I like to roast off vegies in bulk and then freeze individual portions. That is my version of once a month cooking- that way I always have a veggie side. Roasted veggies seem to freeze and reheat in the microwave exceptionally well.

The small salad isn't enough for two people though, and that's kind of the point.  I agree that if I wasn't using the oven for anything else, roasting a handful of tomatoes would be a pain.  But if I'm already cooking something in the oven (which I frequently am) then it's not a big deal to throw another dish in there to roast the tomatoes.  I probably wouldn't add any garlic or anything though, just oil.