WP. Evidently a "thing" that started with TikTok and went viral Store-bought fresh tomatoes are pretty awful (any time of the year) but in my limited experience cherry tomatoes tend to have flavor. The writer says the sauce can be gritty and broken, but the solution is to use a Greek feta cheese made from at least 70% sheep's milk and to mix in some of the pasta water at the end to bind it all. Also, I think some Italian sausage would work good here.
Ingredients
2 pints (17 1/2 ounces / 500 grams) cherry or grape tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, halved lengthwise
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Kosher salt
1 block (7 ounces / 200 grams) Greek feta cheese
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
12 ounces medium-length dried pasta, such as campanelle, rigatoni or rotini
Fresh basil leaves, for serving
Instructions
1. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.
2. In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, combine the tomatoes, garlic and 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Sprinkle with some salt and toss to coat. Place the feta cheese in the center of the tomatoes and garlic, top with the remaining olive oil, and sprinkle the entire dish with red pepper flakes and a little black pepper. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the garlic has softened and the tomatoes have burst their skins.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.
4. Mash the feta and tomatoes with a fork and mix until evenly combined. Mix the sauce with pasta, adding the reserved pasta water as needed if it looks a little dry. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if desired. To serve, divide among bowls and top with plenty of basil leaves.
