Roasted Tomato & Ricotta Pasta

Blistered cherry tomatoes, roasted at high heat until jammy and caramelized, become an effortless sauce when tossed with creamy whole-milk ricotta and hot pasta. The starchy pasta water pulls everything into a silky, cohesive coating — no pot of sauce required.

Ingredients

• cherry or grape tomatoes – 1½ cups
• garlic cloves, smashed and peeled – 2 cloves
• dried red pepper flakes – ¼ teaspoon
• neutral oil (such as grapeseed or avocado) – 1½ tablespoons
• kosher salt – ⅜ teaspoon
• freshly ground black pepper – ⅛ teaspoon

• kosher salt, for pasta water – 1½ teaspoons
• rigatoni or mezze rigatoni – 6 oz
• whole-milk ricotta – ½ cup
• lemon, zested (juice reserved for another use) – ½ lemon
• Pecorino Romano, finely grated, plus more to serve – scant 3 tablespoons
• fresh basil leaves, torn – ¼ cup loosely packed

Instructions

1. Arrange a rack in the top third of your oven and preheat to 450°F / 230°C (convection: 425°F / 220°C). Toss the tomatoes and garlic cloves with the red pepper flakes, oil, salt, and black pepper directly on a rimmed sheet pan. Spread them in a single layer — don't crowd them, or they'll steam instead of blister.
2. Roast the tomatoes for 20–25 minutes, until they've collapsed, darkened at the edges, and released their juices into glossy, caramelized puddles. A few burst skins and charred spots are exactly what you want. Remove from the oven and let sit on the pan.
3. While the tomatoes roast, bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the kosher salt and cook the rigatoni according to package directions until just al dente — it should have a faint bite at the center. Before draining, scoop out at least ½ cup of pasta water and set it aside.
4. Spoon the ricotta into a large serving bowl. Add the lemon zest and half the Pecorino Romano, then season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir to combine. This bowl will act as your mixing vessel, so make sure it's large enough to hold all the pasta.
5. Add 2 tablespoons of the hot pasta water to the ricotta mixture and stir vigorously — the heat loosens the ricotta into a creamy, spoonable sauce.
6. Drain the pasta and add it immediately to the bowl, along with the roasted tomatoes and all their jammy pan juices. Toss everything together, adding more pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce is glossy and clings to the pasta. You may need up to ¼ cup total.
7. Fold in the torn basil and the remaining Pecorino Romano. Taste and adjust salt. Divide between two bowls and finish with extra grated Pecorino at the table.