Penne With Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic, and White Beans

Have you ever gone to dinner at someone’s house and before they serve you the food they say, “Uh, I hope you like garlic,” with just the slightest touch of hesitation? Like garlic? Are you kidding? I can’t get enough!

Now, to be fair, I have on occasion turned down an everything bagel because I was afraid of starting the day off with garlic breath, but by lunch, it’s all over. You might just want to sit on the other side of the conference room if I have a meeting with you in the afternoon.

And of course there’s garlic and then there’s roasted garlic. Don’t you just love restaurants that serve roasted garlic with thick, crusty bread to smear it on. Well, if you like that, you’ll love this pasta dish. The lemon adds a nice tang to the sweet, rich flavor from the roasted tomatoes and garlic, while the beans add both protein and a nice flavor and texture, and the basil adds a nice earthy sweetness to top it all off.

If you’re coming to my house for dinner and you don’t like garlic, you better let me know ahead of time because we rarely cook without garlic!

Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic, and White Beans #

This dish is very quick and easy to throw together, just remember that the tomatoes roast for 40 minutes, so factor that into your timing.

You can easily make this dish vegan by just leaving out the Parmesan. Sprinkle with pepper flakes if you like you like your food spicy.

Adapted from Ellie Krieger

3 large tomatoes (about 2 pounds), cut into wedges
6 large cloves garlic, papery outermost layer removed, but left unpeeled
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
Freshly ground black pepper
1(15 ounce) can cannellini beans
1/2 pound whole wheat penne pasta
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 450F. Lightly spray a 9 by 13-inch roasting pan with nonstick spray.

Slice each tomato into 8 wedges and discard the seeds. Place the tomato wedges and garlic into the prepared pan and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and a few turns of pepper. Roast in the oven, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the beans into a large colander in the sink. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta into the colander containing the beans, so that the hot pasta water warms the beans. Return the drained pasta and beans to the pasta pot. When the tomatoes are done, pick out the garlic cloves, squeeze the garlic out of the skin into a small bowl and mash with a fork. Add the lemon juice, the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt, a pinch of pepper, and stir to combine. Pour the roasted tomatoes into the pasta pot, add the garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the basil and additional 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to combine. Serve topped with the Parmesan.