Eleven ingredients and forty-five minutes, most of it the oven doing the work.
There is no cream in the sauce. It is roasted tomato juices, mashed roasted garlic, Parmesan and pasta water, which together turn light and creamy.
Why This Recipe Works
- Roasting halved tomatoes at 425°F blisters their cut faces and concentrates their juices.
- Garlic roasted in its skin turns soft and sweet enough to mash straight into a sauce.
- Starchy pasta water binds the tomato juices and Parmesan into a light, creamy coat.
- Keeping some tomatoes whole-halved gives visible roasted pieces rather than a purée.
- Ricotta dolloped on top rather than stirred through stays cool, white and distinct.
Ingredient Notes
- Cherry tomatoes, halved
- Two pints, roasted cut-side up so the cut faces blister and char in places.
- Garlic cloves, unpeeled
- Five, roasted whole in their skins. They go soft enough to squeeze out and mash into the sauce.
- Whole-milk ricotta
- Three quarters of a cup, spooned on at the end in dollops. It stays white and distinct rather than disappearing into the sauce.
- Parmesan and reserved pasta water
- A third of a cup of each. Together with the tomato juices, they make the light creamy sauce.
How to Make It
Oven to 425°F, tomatoes and garlic tossed with oil and seasoning
Heat oven to 425°F. Toss halved tomatoes and unpeeled garlic with olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper on a sheet pan.
Roasted twenty to twenty-five minutes until blistered and soft
Roast 20 to 25 minutes until the tomatoes are blistered and charred at some cut faces and the garlic is soft.
Pasta cooked al dente, pasta water kept
Meanwhile cook pasta until al dente, reserving pasta water.
Roasted garlic squeezed out and mashed into the juices with Parmesan
Squeeze roasted garlic from its skins and mash it into the tomato juices with Parmesan and enough pasta water to make a light creamy sauce.
Pasta and tomatoes tossed, chilli flakes and basil folded in
Toss with pasta and most of the roasted tomatoes. Fold in red pepper flakes and basil.
Ricotta spooned over in distinct white dollops
Spoon ricotta over the pasta in distinct white dollops rather than blending it completely into the sauce.
A Cream Sauce Made With No Cream
You will not see the garlic of the title, because GARLIC IS ROASTED WHOLE IN ITS SKIN, THEN MASHED INTO THE SAUCE. That puts the garlic inside the sauce rather than on top of it, and it makes the sauce itself - no cream is involved. It is built in four parts.
The roast
425°F, 20 to 25 minutes2 pints halved cherry tomatoes, 5 unpeeled garlic cloves, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
Everything else depends on this. The tomatoes BLISTER AND CHAR AT SOME CUT FACES and release concentrated juices; the garlic, protected by its skin, turns SOFT without burning. The tomatoes stay HALVED AND VISIBLY ROASTED.
The garlic
Squeezed straight from the skinsThe 5 roasted cloves, squeezed from their skins
MASHED INTO THE TOMATO JUICES. Roasted garlic is sweet and soft rather than sharp, and mashed into the juices it thickens them as well as flavouring them.
Parmesan and pasta water
Only as much water as it takes to turn light and creamy1/3 cup grated Parmesan, 1/3 cup reserved pasta water
The creaminess. Starch from the pasta water and fat from the cheese bind with the tomato juices into A LIGHT CREAMY SAUCE that coats the pasta.
Pasta, tomatoes, chilli and basil
Tossed, then the basil folded in12 oz fusilli or rotini cooked al dente, most of the roasted tomatoes, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, 1/2 cup torn basil
The body of the dish. Most of the tomatoes - not all - go in, so some can sit on top as visible roasted halves. Basil and chilli are components the title does not name.
Then taste3/4 cup of WHOLE-MILK RICOTTA SPOONED OVER THE PASTA IN DISTINCT WHITE DOLLOPS RATHER THAN BLENDING IT COMPLETELY INTO THE SAUCE. The RICOTTA MUST REMAIN VISIBLE AS DOLLOPS. Leftovers are REFRIGERATED PROMPTLY because of it.
Success Tips
- Spread the tomatoes out on the pan so they roast rather than stew.
- Save more pasta water than you think you need — it's what makes the sauce.
- Dollop the ricotta last and resist stirring it in.
Serving Ideas
Four servings of fusilli in a light roasted-tomato and garlic sauce with halved blistered cherry tomatoes, white ricotta dollops, torn basil, red pepper flakes and black pepper.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there cream in the sauce?
No. The creaminess comes from mashed roasted garlic, Parmesan and starchy pasta water worked into the roasted tomato juices.
Should I stir the ricotta in?
No. It goes on top in distinct white dollops so each forkful gets some cool, creamy ricotta against the warm tomatoes.
How do I store leftovers?
Refrigerate them promptly, since the pasta contains ricotta. Reheat gently with a splash of water.
