balsamic roasted red onion and cherry tomato pasta

Quick & Easy

Balsamic Roasted Red Onion & Cherry Tomato Pasta

My boyfriend and I have been making this simple yet extraordinarily delicious pasta for almost a decade. It's especially perfect during the summer when tomatoes are juicy and ripe, though I've been known to make it in the dead of winter when I need a kick of bright, fresh flavor. To this day we still don't know exactly who invented the recipe, but it was likely inspired by a Jamie Oliver dish (old Naked Chef episodes are regularly rewatched in this house). The magic comes from the balsamic vinegar and a single sheet pan: the tangy acidity of the balsamic sweetens as it caramelizes the tomatoes and onions, while the aluminum foil-wrapped garlic softens and mellows as they all roast together in the oven. In fact, this recipe is one of the few reasons to turn on your oven during the hottest months of the year—you just can't get that same level of sticky-sweet goodness on the stovetop. (The easy cleanup doesn't hurt either.)

Ingredients

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half (about 10 ounces)
1/2 large red onion, sliced
4-5 garlic cloves, peeled and with the root end cut off
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pinch salt, plus more to taste
1 pinch black pepper, plus more to taste
8 ounces fusili pasta
1 large handful fresh basil, roughly chopped
freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano, for serving

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°F.
Combine the cherry tomatoes and red onion on a medium-size sheet pan. Drizzle the tomatoes and onion with balsamic vinegar and olive oil, and season them with with a pinch of salt and pepper. (You can add an extra splash of balsamic or olive oil if it’s looking a little dry.) Toss everything on the sheet pan to combine (I like to use my hands).
Wrap the garlic cloves in aluminum foil (they should make a little wrapped ball) and place on the sheet pan.
Roast the tomatoes, onion, and garlic cloves in the oven for about 20 minutes, until the balsamic has reduced and caramelized the onions (they might be a little crispy on the edges) and the tomatoes are soft and blistered.
Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the spaghetti al dente, according to package instructions. Drain in a colander, making sure to reserve a bit of pasta water.
When the red onions and cherry tomatoes are ready, pull them out of the oven. Carefully unwrap the garlic gloves and, using a fork, mash them on the sheet pan until they are soft and broken up.
Sprinkle the basil, plus another pinch of salt and pepper, over the sheet pan and toss to combine with the mashed garlic, tomatoes, and onion.
Add the pasta to the sheet pan, plus a splash of pasta water and toss to combine. Serve warm, sprinkled with Parmigiano-Reggiano and extra basil sprigs, if you like.