Jammy Roasted Tomato Puttanesca

Cherry tomatoes, a whole head of garlic, Kalamata olives and anchovies roast together in one dish until jammy, briny sauce forms. Ten minutes of hands-on work, then the oven does the rest. Toss it with a low-carb pasta for a weeknight dinner that tastes like it took far more effort! A great source of healthy unsaturated fats and lycopene, this sauce is a great way to use up a glut of ripe tomatoes at the end of summer.

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Prep Time:10

Cook Time:45

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian, Mediterranean

Keyword: jammy cherry tomato sauce, low carb puttanesca, MAFLD friendly dinner, NAFLD friendly pasta, one pan pasta sauce, oven roasted garlic tomato sauce, roasted tomato puttanesca

Servings: servings

Calories: 510kcal

Ingredients

2 lb cherry tomatoes
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 whole head garlic, top ¼ inch sliced off
3 anchovy fillets packed in olive oil, drained
¾ cup Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1 tsp dried red chili flakes
½ tsp salt
¼ cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
12 oz low-carb pasta (optional) I love Carbe Nada

Instructions

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Add the cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, anchovy fillets, red chili flakes and salt to a 9x13 baking dish and toss gently to distribute everything evenly.
Nestle the head of garlic cut-side down into the center of the dish. Pour the extra virgin olive oil over everything, making sure the exposed garlic is fully submerged in oil.
Roast uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes. The tomatoes are ready when most have burst and collapsed and the edges of the dish have gone deep brown and sticky (that's the jammy part – don't pull it early!)
Remove the dish and let it sit for 5 minutes. Lift out the garlic head, squeeze the softened cloves directly back into the pan, and discard the papery skins.
Mash everything together with the back of a wooden spoon until the tomatoes break down and the oil emulsifies into a loose, glossy sauce. Leave some texture- this sauce is supposed to be rustic!
Cook your pasta according to package directions, reserving ¼ cup of the water. Add the drained pasta straight to the baking dish, toss with the chopped parsley, and loosen with pasta water as needed.

Notes

A note on the garlic: roasting it whole and cut-side down in oil steams inside its own skin while it confits, so the cloves come out sweet and spreadable instead of scorched and bitter. If your head of garlic is small, check it at 30 minutes.

A note on leftover oil: if the sauce looks oilier than you'd like, don't drain it. That oil is now carrying dissolved lycopene, and the pasta water will emulsify it right in.

Nutrition