Tomatoes are one of the most plentiful, seasonal fruits during the summer. When you slow roast tomatoes, it extracts an intense flavor that needs so little to make your pasta radiate with taste. When winter arrives and the produce begins to wane, you’ll have an almost ready-made sauce that brings back unforgettable memories of summer’s best eats.

Roasting Tomatoes Recipe

Ingredients:

• *3 pounds of seasonal & organic medium-sized, over ripe (softish) Early Girl or Roma (San Marzano) tomatoes
• 2 TBS of Extra virgin olive oil
• ¾ tsp of sea or kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• * If your tomatoes are not over ripe then let it sit on the counter (in a basket) for a few days.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 225°.
2. Core and cut tomatoes into thick slices. Then, place tomatoes on a jelly-roll pan; sprinkle with 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Bake for about 1 ½ hours until slightly browned and wrinkled.
3. Use sauce to make recipe below or store in small glass containers (mason jars) in the freezer. Defrost in refrigerator when ready to use. If using mason jars, leave some space at the top of the jar to avoid cracked jars.

One of our favorite recipes this time of year is a slow-roasted tomato pasta. The flavors make your pasta pop from plate to mouth!

DIY Roasted Tomato Pasta Recipe    

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ TBS of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 5 whole peeled garlic cloves
• 1 cup of roasted tomato sauce
• 1 teaspoons of high quality sea salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
• 16 ounces of uncooked linguine pasta
• 3/4 cups (3 ounces) shaved fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 3 tablespoons torn fresh basil

Directions:

1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
2. Add extra virgin olive oil then garlic cloves. Turn stove to low to slowly saute garlic cloves turnover as they become golden in color. It should take about 10-15 minutes.
3. Remove garlic, and chop finely on cutting board. Combine garlic, roasted tomatoes, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper in frying pan. Turn off burner.
4. Cook pasta in boiling water and add a little bit of salt. Cook until al dente or slightly undercooked. Scoop out 1/2 cup of the liquid from pasta pot and add to tomato sauce. Turn pan with sauce on high. Lower to a simmer when it starts to boil. Add drained pasta to the pan and mix well. Heat for about 1-2 minutes. 
5. Serve immediately.

Fill up the freezer with fresh roasted tomato sauce, so you can eat like it’s summer all year long!