Roasted Tomato & Walnut Pasta Sauce

Suitable for vegans and vegetarians. Serves 2.

Tomatoes undergo a complete transformation after being oven-roasted. They take on an intense umami flavour as well as a subtle sweetness. I wanted to make a pasta sauce that has this flavour at the forefront and I feel like this recipe pulls it off. The addition of red peppers bulks out the sauce too and adds more sweetness.

With the addition of nuts, you can really play around. I added walnuts because I like the texture (and because I had some on hand). But you could add pine nuts for more of a pesto situation, or toasted almonds for more of a romesco situation. Either way, this is a delicious and easy sauce and is certainly making its way into my weeknight meal rotation.

Ingredients:

• 200g farfalle pasta (I used fresh but feel free to use dried), 
• 4 large tomatoes, cut in half, 
• 2 red bell peppers, cut in half, 
• 6-8 cloves of garlic, 
• 4 tbsp olive oil, 
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 
• 2 tbsp tamari or soy sauce, 
• 1/2 cup walnuts, 
• 2 tbsp dried oregano, 
• 1 tbsp dried basil, 
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley for garnish.

Method:

• Preheat oven to 200 C.
• Place a dry pan over medium high heat and toast the walnuts for 5-8 minutes or until fragrant and brittle.
• Place tomatoes, peppers, and garlic in a large baking sheet.
• In a bowl, combine the oil, balsamic vinegar, and tamari or soy sauce and whisk together until a thick sauce forms.
• Add the sauce to the baking sheet with the vegetables. Mix together thoroughly to ensure that all of the vegetables are evenly coated.
• Position the tomatoes cut-side down and the peppers cut-side up and place the baking sheet in the oven.
• Roast for 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle over the dried basil and dried oregano.
• Place the baking sheet back in the oven and roast for another 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, add the walnuts to a blender or food processor and pulse until roughly chopped (you can also do this with a knife or mortar and pestle).
• Remove the roasted veg from the oven and add the entire contents of the tray to the food processor or blender with the chopped nuts. Blend until a smooth puree forms. (If you don't have a food processor or blender, add the roast veg to a bowl along with the walnuts and mash vigorously with a back of a fork. This will take a little longer but will yield a similar result.)
• Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
• Bring a large pot of water to the boil and add a large pinch of salt. Cook the pasta until al dente.
• Place a pan over medium heat with 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the roast tomato sauce and cook until slightly bubbling. This is just to warm up the sauce, you don't want to brown it.
• Add the cooked pasta to the pan along with a couple tablespoons of pasta water. Mix thoroughly until all of the pasta is coated with sauce.
• Remove from heat. Serve while hot with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.