Garlic and I have had a pretty complicated relationship in the past, but I think we’ve finally reached a healthy place.
Garlic is awesome, and it knows it too. It brings dishes to life and it’s rightly used in some form or another in about 85% of the world’s savory dishes that come to mind. People notice garlic’s absence. They may not be able to tell exactly what’s missing, but they’ll notice a lack of amazingness.
But every time I let garlic in, it ends up hurting me. Literally, my stomach hurts after eating garlic. I couldn’t stay in such a toxic relationship! So I usually opt for garlic powder, but who am I kidding? It’s just not the same.
Then I discovered roasted garlic. It has all the flavor of regular garlic, without the bite (and the vindictive stomach aches). It’s mellowed-out garlic. Garlic that doesn’t want to hurt me, but just wants hang out and chill for awhile. And there is no counseling or garlic therapy needed. As long as you have an oven, aluminum foil, and a bit of olive oil, your garlic can transform into soft, almost creamy garlicky goodness. All you need to do is give it some time.
This pasta sauce is pretty simple, but the roasted garlic adds depth to the sauce that your dinner audience will applaud. We also throw in a splash of balsamic vinegar and a drizzle of honey that help bring out the roasted garlic even more (while adding a touch of sweetness). Oh, and as much fresh basil as your sauce can handle. Can you ever have too much of that stuff?
If you like tasty carbs like me, I would suggest roasting an extra head of garlic to mash up with olive oil and salt and smear on bread as an awesome carby side dish to your carbs. And if anyone has a problem with that, just tell them you have a long run the next day and they’ll leave you alone. Even if you don’t have a long run, it’s okay to just want to eat really delicious bread and pasta because you’re a happy person who enjoys life.
Notice how I said really delicious bread and pasta. Don’t be wasting your dollars on jarred pasta sauce and frozen garlic bread. You are better than that! The amount of extra time it takes to DIY this dinner simply can’t compare to how much better it’s going to taste. Also, since the roasted garlic already adds so much flavor, there’s no need to let this sauce simmer for hours. This sauce is the perfect meal for that weeknight where you still want people to believe you have it all together but your mind is a chaotic mess and there a million and five things going on. You can even make a bunch of it and freeze it for when there are a million and ten things going on.
So go ahead and give roasted garlic a try, I promise you two will hit it off in no time.
Tomato basil pasta with roasted garlic
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 fresh tomatoes, diced
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1/2 bulb roasted garlic, skin removed
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
For the roasted garlic
- 1 garlic bulb
- 2 tsp olive oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
For the roasted garlic
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Cut the top off the garlic bulb, exposing the cloves. Wrap tightly in aluminum foil with the cloves still exposed and drizzle on 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tightly wrap the exposed garlic in the remaining aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet.
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Bake for 30 minutes or until the cloves feel soft. Let cool before removing skin.
For the pasta
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In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil to a medium heat and add roasted garlic and tomatoes. Mash the garlic and tomatoes with the spoon until no large chunks of garlic remain.
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Add tomato sauce and bring to a simmer. Stir in balsamic vinegar and honey. Let cook for 5 minutes.
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Lower the heat and stir in basil and salt and pepper. While cooking the pasta, let sauce cook on a low heat, stirring occasionally.
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When pasta is ready, combine pasta and sauce. Garnish with fresh basil and parmesan if desired. The sauce can be frozen or stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
