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”
Wonderful
Just came back to this recipe for the zillionth time. I’ve made this dish dozens of times and I’m in love. It’s one of my favorite dinners!
Can you make the sauce in advance (day before) and just heat it up?
Definitely but I do think you’d need to add pasta water to thin it slightly (leave basil for day of) and it’s not really intended to be prepped ahead?
Recipe was delicious! I would recommend adding a little bit of butter at the end instead of adding extra pasta water it really helps bring the flavors out.
absolutely delicious. Light and flavorful on a hot summer day. I am already thinking of ways to use those breadcrumbs!
Delicious! I thought I would skip the breadcrumbs, but I’m glad so didn’t. Worth the extra effort. I didn’t have panko, used regular plain Italian breadcrumbs.also used a little extra olive oil on the roasted tomatoes.
I do not recall how I found this recipe, I think I googled “roasted tomato pasta” or something to that effect, but I am so glad I did because it was SO good and so easy! The breadcrumbs were amazing. Will definitely be making this again very soon!
This recipe is easy to make yet sooo delicious! Loved the roasted garlic is next level! i tossed in some pork sausage and it was amazing. Thank you!
This was a topper! As an Italian I loved it ??
I agree with the other commenter about the temperature of the oven being too high. 450 is high enough for olive oil to get smoky. Recommend 400 for the tomatoes. The rest of the recipe was great!
I roast at 450F all the time, but it can really come down to your oven. Definitely reduce the temperature if you have issues at high temps and if things are moving too quickly! Glad you enjoyed the dish though!
Made this for dinner tonight! I followed the recipe exactly and it is DELICIOUS! Thank you so much for sharing❤ My family loved it!
This stuff is amazing! I did add roasted zucchini and squash also. The bread crumbs are like candy, I could eat this everyday.
Laura,
Just found your site and this recipe! I am making it this week up at the cabin. Question, when smashing the garlic are you leaving skins on and roasting? Also, can You make the breadcrumbs ahead and store in an airtight container ? Thanks!
Hi Katie!! Great question. The garlic cloves are peeled when they’re roasted with the tomatoes. You *can* prepare the breadcrumb mixture ahead of time, but it is best when it’s crispy – so if you do wish to do this, I would store them in a container in the fridge and warm/crisp them up in a dry skillet just before serving. Hope this helps!
Ahhhhh, such lovely, fresh flavours that all come together in this simple dish! I could have spooned up the roasted garlicky, tomatoey, olive oil-eey juice all on its own, straight from the oven! Pass me some crostini please and I would have called it dinner right there! Love, love, loved it! Not gonna lie, the oven cleaning gawds were cursing me when the juice started coming out of the tomatoes, into the olive oil onto the sheet pan…….a mighty bit of splattering and smoke did happen! LOL I just backed off the temperature of my oven and let it work it’s Magic! This was a fabulously, delicious
summer time recipe, especially if you have fresh tomatoes and basil! Thanks for your inspiration! ????