Spaghettini with Roasted Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, and Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs
Quick, easy, and flavorful spaghettini tossed with roasted tomatoes, fresh basil, and topped with crazy delicious toasted garlic breadcrumbs!
Recently I was asked to do a fun interview with my friends over at The National Pasta Association (I mean, really, how could I possibly resist?) all about my love for food, my favorite summer ingredients, and what I love most about blogging.
You can read the entire interview here, but as I sat at my kitchen counter, cursor blinking on the laptop in front of me, it got me thinking. Why haven’t I shared any pasta dishes this summer?
Ones that are easy, require little time at the stove and minimal ingredients, and are my go-to recipes when I’m looking for a fast, delicious, and satisfying meal that works for all occasions.
This spaghettini with roasted tomatoes, basil, and toasted breadcrumbs is my answer to that question. I could probably eat it everyday. Scratch that. I could definitely eat it everyday.
The colors, the simplicity, the fresh flavors, everything! Comforting and seasonal. My kind of meal.
I can’t decide what I love more about this pasta. The roasted tomatoes (just burst and caramelized), the fresh basil (basil is basil and nothing comes close to comparison in my mind), or the crispy garlic breadcrumbs!
Can we talk about the toasted breadcrumbs for a second?
I’m tempted to say that you should just plan on making twice the amount of breadcrumbs than the recipe calls for, because it will be extremely difficult to share that stuff.
Oh my gosh, the breadcrumbs.
Does it sound redundant to top pasta with breadcrumbs? It’s kind of like putting bread on top of bread, I know. But, but! Once you do, your pasta game will never be the same ever again. Allow me to be dramatic for a second: it’s kind of life-altering.
They aren’t just any toasted breadcrumbs.
They are actually panko breadcrumbs flavored with fresh garlic and sautéed finely chopped shallot! You can make them in under 5 minutes in a skillet on your stove, so don’t skip this step.
Also, try not to eat them out of the bowl, because you are going to want every last crumb of them for your pasta serving.
And the tomatoes? I use a variety of small multi-colored tomatoes (you could use larger cherry tomatoes, if you can’t find something similar) that are readily available at most grocery stores.
Just drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and add a few smashed garlic cloves, and roast for about 20 minutes in the oven until they begin to collapse and burst.
It really is that simple.
This dish can be thrown together in less than 45 minutes (30 minutes, if you’re quick!) and is easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but sophisticated and impressive enough to serve on a special occasion!
My new favorite go-to summer pasta!
Spaghettini with Roasted Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, and Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs
Ingredients
Roasted Tomatoes:
- 2½ lbs small heirloom tomatoes or large cherry tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 large cloves of garlic smashed
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Crispy Garlic Breadcrumbs:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium shallot finely chopped
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
For the Pasta:
- ¾ lb (12 oz) dried spaghettini pasta otherwise known as ‘thin spaghetti
- extra virgin olive oil
- 2 ounces fresh basil leaves sliced into ribbons, plus more for garnishing
- grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese for serving
Instructions
- Roast Tomatoes: Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C). If your oven runs hot, I recommend reducing the temperature by 25°F or so, or reducing the cook time and watching the tomatoes carefully.
- Bring a large pot (8 quarts or larger) of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Rinse the tomatoes and pat them dry. Place the tomatoes and smashed garlic cloves on a half sheet pan, drizzle with olive oil, and season with kosher salt and pepper. Spread them out evenly. Roast the tomatoes for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping them every 5 to 10 minutes or so, until they are soft and have just begun to collapse. Meanwhile, prepare the breadcrumb topping.
- Prepare Garlic Breadcrumb Topping: In a small skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the chopped shallot and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the shallots have softened and become translucent. Add the panko breadcrumbs and chopped garlic. Reduce the heat to low and toast the breadcrumbs for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent the breadcrumbs from burning - or until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
- Cook the Pasta: While the tomatoes finish roasting (and the breadcrumbs are prepared), boil the pasta until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Place the pasta back into the pot and drizzle with a glug of olive oil, and gently toss to coat. Add the warm, roasted tomato and garlic mixture as well as the basil ribbons, and toss gently until combined. Add reserved pasta water as needed to help loosen the pasta until the sauce coats the noodles evenly.
- Garnish each pasta serving with basil, torn or sliced into thin ribbons, and a generous sprinkling of toasted garlic breadcrumbs. Serve with freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese.
81 Comments on “Spaghettini with Roasted Tomatoes, Fresh Basil, and Toasted Garlic Breadcrumbs”
I made this for dinner this evening and is absolutely wonderful the breadcrumbs are to die for I made extra and as I was eating my dinner I was wondering what I was going to use them for tomorrow evening I will roast some broccoli with garlic and olive oil and sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the broccoli sounds wonderfulI’m sure I’ll come up with more uses for those bread crumbs and this pasta will definitely be on my go-to list when I’m looking for something terrific for dinner
This recipe was perfect. I made it tonight with grape tomatoes and basil from my garden. It was just what I was looking for. My family loved it! The breadcrumbs on top were the best. I used some day old crusty bread instead of the panko and it was delish. I will be making this again!
So thrilled to hear that Joyce! Thank you!
The cooking times on this recipe was way off. My tomatoes were burnt in 20 minutes at 450. The breadcrumb topping was a nice twist on this typical kind of recipe.
Hi Sarah. Thanks for your feedback. I’m sorry to hear that. Cook times in any recipe are always going to vary from person to person, especially for roasting as everyone’s ovens tend to vary (I use an oven thermometer to make sure that my oven is calibrated properly) and ingredients vary. I do have feeling you were either using much smaller tomatoes (I did specify in the recipe that they need to be larger – and/or small heirloom size) or your oven is not calibrated properly and runs hot. This recipe was tested many times, and I’ve never received that feedback from anyone else that has made it.
Hi Laura! This looks really amazing…just wondering…do you think it will be as good as a room temp addition to a buffet, maybe using a gemelli type pasta instead? Thanks!
avez vous la recette en français
Unfortunately no! I can’t translate this for you – my best advice would be to use a browser translator, but I can’t guarantee it would do it properly.
Absolutely delicious!! Plus quick and easy
omg I made this and it’s amazing!!! You have me converted on the roasted breadcrumbs!!!
My husband is Italian, and a professional chef.
I showed him the recipe and He loved the garlick panko crubss
(He often uses panko crumbs but had never thought of garlic, shallots & roasting.)
But he warned me that if we roast cherry tomatoes, the skin of the tomatoes will become very
tough.
Any suggestions as to how to avoid this?
Also, I’m inclined to add very small chunks of room-termperature mozzarella to the recipe
Would this work?
I used to make, I mean I still do, a pasta similar to your recipe, but I never in my life I thought about toping with toasted panko, genius!
I just had dinner, I been eating very light in the past month but I would eat that pasta right now, it looks so good.
I am obsessed with these particular panko breadcrumbs! You can put them on any pasta (even if its not this particular one). Hope you like it! Thanks Alecio!
I adore this recipe! We make it on a pretty regular basis. Instead of using fresh basil and olive oil, I toss some pesto in the noodles. I make my own pesto during the summer and keep it in the freezer all year. I’ll admit, I was highly skeptical of the bread crumb situation. But oh man is it good!
Haha! I love this, and am so happy to hear that. I’ve done a similar thing with pesto too, and love that variation as well. I totally get the skepticism about breadcrumbs on top of pasta – but I love these particular ones (I also sprinkle them on roasted portobello mushrooms) and LOVED the little bit of extra oomph it gives to this recipe. So glad you liked them too! ?
Delicious! I made homemade pasta today so I was looking for an easy sauce to pair with. Your recipe was perfect and hit the spot. My husband is not a fan of raw tomatoes but now he’s realized he loves them roasted! Thanks for sharing!
I made this recipe as is except used spaghetti squash instead of pasta. Absolutely wonderful.!!
Have made it a few times . The panko bread crumb topping is a definite plus. Great recipe.!!!!
Can’t wait to do this! Just ordered the panko crumbs online!
Yay! Hope you love it!
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it. Question–I was expecting to add the basil raw at the very end, not to cook it for a minute in the pasta water. What effect does boiling it have?
What do you do with the garlic that’s roasting with tomatoes? Can’t wait to try
This is SO good! I make it at least once a week!
Yay! So glad to hear that!
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Wow! it looks so delicious and yummy. Today, my friends are coming and I am going to cook this recipe for them.
Wow, Laura! Your given pasta recipe looks so yummy and delicious. Also all the photos of pasta recipes are looking so nice and beautiful. I love cherry tomatoes of any color in this dish just to pop. Carry on Laura.
This looks so good – I can’t wait to try it!