Oven Roasted Tomato, Spinach Pesto and Pine Nut Pasta

This pasta dish is a weeknight staple year round in my house. It is so simple and quick to throw together for dinner and to eat leftover throughout the week. It has become a favourite amongst family and friends! Cherry tomatoes get cooked down in the oven with some extra virgin olive oil, spices and garlic until they are bursting and incredibly sweet! A fresh spinach pesto adds a hearty dose of greens and healthy fats. Whats best is you can add almost any cooked vegetable (try eggplant, zucchini or steamed broccoli) and for you meat lovers, you can put in your favourite organic gluten free sausage. It is really versatile but most importantly SO delicious!

I use a mixture of zucchini noodles and brown rice noodles for this dish. Because it is vegan, having zucchini noodles on their own is often not filling enough. I also love using buckwheat or bean noodles for added protein. I hope you love this as much as I do! I’m off to Croatia, so I’ll be posting as soon as I return. Can’t wait to for new food inspiration. I’ll bring home as many recipes as I can!

Love,
Jen

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 4 cups cherry tomatoes (rinsed)
• 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves (thinly sliced)
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
• 3 tbsp pine nuts
• Pasta of choice (I love brown rice, buckwheat or bean)
• spiralized zucchini (optional)
• good pinch of salt and pepper

Pesto Ingredients:

• 3 cups fresh basil leaves
• 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
• 1 large handful spinach
• 1 garlic clove
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• zest of 1 lemon
• juice of 1 lemon
• salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. In a roasting pan, coat cherry tomatoes in olive oil, garlic, oregano, chilli flakes, salt and pepper. Allow to cook for an hour or until cooked down and bursting.
3. While the tomatoes are cooking toast your pine nuts in a dry sauce pan over medium heat until the oils begin to release. Set aside.
4. Prepare your pesto by adding basil, pine nuts, spinach, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and garlic into the food processor container. Pulse until a paste forms. Slowly add in your olive oil while processing. Taste and season more if necessary.
5. When the tomatoes are almost finished cooking, cook your pasta according to directions. Drain and place back in the pot you cooked it in. Over low heat, toss with zucchini noodles (optional), pesto (add it slowly, you may not need it all) and half of the tomatoes. Break into the tomatoes! You want the juice from the tomatoes to coat the noodles with the pesto.
6. Serve in a bowl. Garnish with more tomatoes, pine nuts and a spoonful of pesto. Bon appetit!