Spaghettini with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

*an original recipe by jcsmama

I love making this dish in the summer with my garden fresh cherry tomatoes and freshly picked basil, however it is february and all I had on hand was a store-bought cello pack of not so great tasting grape tomatoes. But I had a craving so I gave it a go, and I have to say that it was probably the best way to use them up!

Servings: 4

Time to make: about 40 min.

Ingredients:

3 cups cherry tomatoes

salt to taste

4 tbsp bread crumbs

2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp parmesan cheese
4 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
about 450g (2 lbs) spaghetti
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp chili pepper flakes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tbsp chopped basil for garnish
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:
-wash and dry tomatoes and cut in half
-lay out tomatoes on an lightly oiled baking sheet and sprinkle with salt, set aside
-preheat oven to 375F
-in a small bowl mix together bread crumbs,garlic, parmesan cheese, olive oil and basil

-top each tomato half with some of the bread crumb mixture

-bake for about 30 minutes

-in the meantime cook pasta as per package directions

-drain pasta, return to pot and mix in 2 tbsp butter, parsley, chili pepper and oregano

-serve immediately in indiidual bowls, topping each with 1/4 of the tomato mixture, a pinch of chopped basil and some freshly ground black pepper