Creamy Roasted Tomato and Shrimp Pasta

Trevor and I have made this simple pasta a few times now, and I think it's turned into one of my favorites. It's pretty easy, but feels fancy--that's the best kind of pasta :)

WHAT YOU NEED:
for roasted tomatoes
5 roma tomatoes
2-3 teaspoons minced garlic
2-3 tablespoons oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
for pasta
1 pound pasta (spaghetti, penne, rotini, whatever floats your boat)
1 tablespoon table salt
for sauce
1/2 pound shrimp--deveined and peeled
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 14 ounce can diced tomatoes (or crushed)
1 tablespoon italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
1 bay leaf
1/2 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
seasonings/salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon sugar or honey
1/2 cup cream

WHAT YOU DO:

First things first, you have to get your tomatoes roasting. You'll want them roasting the entire time you're getting everything else ready. 

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Quarter 5 roma tomatoes, then cut those quarters in half. You can de-seed them if you don't like the seeds and juices, but I think they add good flavor to the pasta sauce later. Place the tomatoes on a foil lined baking sheet, drizzle with oil (olive or vegetable works), and top with minced garlic, salt and pepper. Use your hands to mix it all together, then spread it out evenly. Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes while you do the rest, turning them with a spatula once halfway through. (If, by the time you're done with the pasta, your tomatoes aren't as roasted as you want them to be, turn the oven up to 500 or even broil for a few minutes to get the amount of char/roast you want. Watch carefully.)

At this point, prep your shrimp, if they aren't already. They need to be defrosted, deveined, and peeled. 

Next, start a large pot of water boiling, with about a tablespoon of regular table salt (no need to waste kosher salt on boiling water). Your water should taste like sea salt--this will make your noodles actually taste like noodles later on. Cook your noodles to al dente.

While the noodles are cooking, heat some oil over medium high heat in a large saute pan. Add garlic and shrimp, season with salt and pepper, and saute quickly. Once the shrimps have JUST reached pink all the way through, turn down the heat to medium low. If using crushed tomatoes, pour them straight into the pan now. If using diced tomatoes, blend them up really quick with an immersion blender, food processor, or blender (you could even crush them with a fork) before adding to the shrimp. I like using the diced tomatoes because I can control how chunky my tomatoes are, depending on my mood.

Season the tomato sauce with italian seasoning (or oregano and thyme to your taste), sage, parsley, ground red pepper, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Taste the sauce and use your judgement. The sauce is going to be tamed by adding cream later, so you want it to taste fairly strong. To me, this sauce whispers slightly of something creole or cajun with the thyme and shrimp, so feel free to spice it up. It doesn't need to be HOT spicy to be spiced; go easy on the red pepper if you don't want a burn. Add the sugar or honey to taste.

(Keep an eye on your pasta. Drain the noodles when they're ready, and return them to the pot.)


Add 1/2 cup of any cream of your choice to the tomato sauce. I use whipping cream because, well, it will be the best. But half-and-half or 2% would work if you want to go lighter. It just won't be as creamy. Also be careful using lower fat creams/milks because they curdle when heated too quickly. Make sure to turn your heat down and slowly bring the sauce back up to temperature. Feel free to increase or decrease the amount of cream based on what you prefer. Re-season till it's how you want it to taste.


Combine the sauce with the noodles, and add your roasted tomatoes to the pot. Gently combine so you don't destroy all the roasted tomatoes.