Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta is the dinner that Maria discovered one autumn evening when she had a punnet of cherry tomatoes that needed to be used and a container of ricotta sitting in the refrigerator and the patience to let the oven do the slow and patient work of transforming those small bright tomatoes into something caramelized and sweet and deeply concentrated. She slid the baking sheet in, cooked the pasta while she waited, and then mashed the roasted tomatoes and their fragrant juices directly into the ricotta in one bowl. The sauce that resulted was the color of sunset and smelled like the most beautiful Italian kitchen imaginable.
Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta is the pasta that proves the most deeply satisfying dinners are the simplest ones. Cherry tomatoes halved and roasted with olive oil and garlic until soft and slightly caramelized and bursting with concentrated sweetness, mashed into creamy whole-milk ricotta with fresh basil and Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon, tossed through perfectly cooked pasta with just enough starchy pasta water to make everything silky and completely beautiful. Come follow us on Pinterest where we share beautiful and comforting recipes like this one from our kitchen every single week.
Table of Contents
Why You Will Love This Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta Recipe
This Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta recipe is the vegetarian pasta dinner that tastes far richer and more complex than a glance at the ingredient list would suggest because roasting is the technique that multiplies the flavor of every single ingredient it touches. Raw cherry tomatoes are pleasant and fresh. Roasted cherry tomatoes for 25 minutes at 400°F are something else entirely. The water evaporates and concentrates. The sugars caramelize. The edges begin to char in the most beautiful way. What emerges from the oven are small intense jewels of sweet acidic tomato that taste nothing like their raw counterparts and create a sauce of extraordinary depth and character.
The ricotta is the element that makes this pasta feel genuinely luxurious without the weight of a cream-based sauce. Its mild and creamy character absorbs the roasted tomato juices and the caramelized garlic and the fresh basil into something that is simultaneously rich and light. The lemon juice is the small detail that makes the biggest difference to the finished sauce, brightening all the other flavors and preventing the ricotta from tasting flat or heavy. Our Lemon Pasta brings a similar bright and fresh citrus-forward pasta spirit to the table for a beautiful companion alongside this more substantial and tomato-rich version.
Ingredients Needed for This Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta Recipe
- 2 cups Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 12 oz Pasta such as spaghetti, penne, or rigatoni
- 1 cup Whole-Milk Ricotta Cheese
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
- ¼ cup Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped
- 1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
How to Make This Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta Recipe
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy cleanup and to prevent the tomatoes from sticking.
Halve the cherry tomatoes and place them cut side up on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes and scatter the minced garlic across the surface. Sprinkle the dried oregano, salt, and black pepper over everything and toss lightly to coat each tomato half evenly. Spread them out in a single layer with the cut sides facing up. The cut sides facing up is important, cara mia, as it allows the exposed flesh to caramelize and concentrate rather than steaming and staying wet against the pan surface.
Roast in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the tomatoes are completely soft, slightly shrunken, and beginning to caramelize and darken at the edges. The kitchen should smell extraordinary at this point. A few extra minutes of roasting that pushes them toward slightly charred edges rather than just soft is actually desirable here for the deepest flavor. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
While the tomatoes roast, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Before draining, scoop out half a cup of the starchy pasta cooking water and set it aside. Drain the pasta and return it to the warm pot.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, grated Parmesan, chopped fresh basil, and lemon juice. Stir together until fully combined and smooth. Use a fork or the back of a spoon to gently mash the roasted tomatoes and garlic directly on the baking sheet, pressing them down until they release their juices and become a rough chunky sauce. Scrape everything from the baking sheet, including all the caramelized juices that have pooled on the parchment, into the ricotta mixture and stir to combine into a beautiful orange-red creamy sauce.
Pour the tomato ricotta sauce over the drained pasta in the pot and toss everything together thoroughly. If the sauce is too thick, add the reserved pasta water one tablespoon at a time, tossing between each addition, until the sauce coats every piece of pasta in a silky and loose consistency. Taste and adjust seasoning with more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed. Serve immediately with extra grated Parmesan and fresh basil leaves scattered over the top.
How to Serve This Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta Recipe
Serve this pasta immediately while the sauce is at its creamiest and the basil is still vibrantly green and fragrant against the warm orange-red sauce. The contrast of the deep roasted tomato color against the white ricotta streaks and the bright green basil makes this one of the most visually beautiful pasta dishes we have ever put in a bowl.
A simple arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette alongside provides a pleasantly peppery and fresh contrast to the rich and creamy pasta. Warm garlic bread for mopping up the roasted tomato ricotta sauce from the bottom of the bowl is completely essential. Our Margherita Pizza makes a wonderfully simple and classic Italian companion alongside this pasta for a complete and deeply satisfying vegetarian Italian dinner.
How to Store This Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta Recipe
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. The sauce will thicken as it chills as the ricotta continues to absorb moisture from the pasta. To reheat, warm gently in a skillet over medium-low heat with a small drizzle of olive oil or a splash of water stirred in to loosen the sauce back to a creamy consistency. Stir frequently until heated through.
For a make-ahead approach, roast the tomatoes and make the ricotta sauce mixture up to 2 days ahead and store separately in the refrigerator. Cook fresh pasta when ready to serve and toss with the reheated sauce for the freshest possible result. The roasted tomato sauce on its own can also be frozen in a sealed container for up to 2 months. Cook fresh pasta and toss with the thawed and reheated sauce when ready to serve.
Tips to Make This Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta Recipe
Always reserve pasta water before draining. The starchy water is the adjustment tool that takes this sauce from potentially too thick and clumpy to perfectly silky and loose. The starch in the pasta water acts as an emulsifier that helps the ricotta and tomato juices bind together smoothly around each piece of pasta. A quarter cup is the minimum worth reserving and half a cup gives you more flexibility.
Do not skip the caramelized juices that pool on the baking sheet during roasting. Scrape every drop of those concentrated tomato and garlic juices into the ricotta mixture when you add the mashed tomatoes. Those dark sticky caramelized juices are the most intensely flavored part of the entire sauce and they are the detail that makes the difference between a good tomato ricotta pasta and an extraordinary one.
Helpful Notes for This Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta Recipe
Whole-milk ricotta is the only variety to use for this recipe. Part-skim or fat-free ricotta has a grainy and watery texture that does not produce the silky and creamy sauce this recipe is designed to create. Whole-milk ricotta is smooth, rich, and slightly sweet and it absorbs the roasted tomato flavors and the Parmesan into a sauce that tastes genuinely indulgent without being heavy.
The lemon juice in this recipe is doing two jobs simultaneously. It adds a bright citrus note that lifts and brightens the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes and the richness of the ricotta. And it slightly acidulates the ricotta which gives the sauce a more complex and interesting flavor than plain ricotta alone would provide. Start with one tablespoon and taste before adding more as some tomatoes are more acidic than others and the lemon should enhance rather than dominate.
Variation of This Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta Recipe
Maria made a version roasting a whole head of garlic alongside the cherry tomatoes by cutting the top off, drizzling with olive oil, wrapping in foil, and roasting for 40 minutes until the cloves were completely soft and spreadable. Squeezing the roasted garlic cloves out of their papery skins and mashing them into the ricotta alongside the tomatoes produced a garlic flavor of extraordinary sweetness and depth that was completely transformative. Teresa tried adding a pinch of red pepper flakes to the tomatoes before roasting and the gentle heat woven through the sweet caramelized tomatoes and creamy ricotta was a completely beautiful and unexpected combination.
For a more substantial version, add a cup of cooked white cannellini beans to the finished pasta and toss through the tomato ricotta sauce for extra protein and a wonderful creamy texture that pairs beautifully with the sweet roasted tomatoes. Our Vegan Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes make a bright and completely plant-based dessert to follow this naturally vegetarian pasta for a complete and beautiful dinner that is entirely meat-free and genuinely extraordinary.
FAQs About This Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta Recipe
Can I use larger tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes?
Yes. Roma tomatoes or plum tomatoes cut into quarters work beautifully and will produce a slightly more robust and less sweet roasted sauce than cherry tomatoes. Larger tomatoes will need 5 to 10 additional minutes in the oven to soften and caramelize adequately. Regular vine tomatoes also work but contain more water and may need draining on paper towels before roasting to prevent a watery sauce.
Do I need to peel the garlic before roasting?
In this recipe the garlic is minced before roasting and added directly to the tomatoes on the baking sheet. Minced garlic roasted alongside the tomatoes caramelizes beautifully and becomes sweet and mellow rather than pungent, infusing the entire roasting environment with fragrance. Some versions of this recipe use whole unpeeled garlic cloves roasted alongside the tomatoes which are then squeezed out and mashed in at the end. Both approaches work excellently.
Can I make this pasta dairy-free?
Yes. Substitute the ricotta with a high-quality dairy-free ricotta alternative and replace the Parmesan with nutritional yeast or a good quality vegan Parmesan. The roasted tomato and garlic base of the sauce is entirely dairy-free by nature and provides plenty of rich flavor on its own. A drizzle of good olive oil stirred into the sauce in place of the ricotta adds richness without dairy.
Conclusion
This Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta is the dinner that teaches us every single time we make it that the most satisfying and beautiful things in cooking come from giving simple ingredients the time and heat they need to become fully and completely themselves. Sweet caramelized tomatoes, mellow roasted garlic, creamy ricotta, fresh basil, and a perfectly al dente pasta that carries it all in the most beautiful and comforting way imaginable. We hope it brings the same warmth and the same deeply contented silence after the first bite to your table that it always brings to ours. Make it, share it, and come back to tell us all about it. With all our love, Maria, Lucia, and Teresa.
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Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta The Most Sweet and Creamy Pasta You Will Ever Make
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
The most sweet and creamy Roasted Tomato Ricotta Pasta made with caramelized cherry tomatoes and garlic roasted at 400°F then mashed into whole-milk ricotta with Parmesan fresh basil and lemon juice and tossed with al dente pasta. A deeply comforting and beautifully simple 40 minute vegetarian dinner.
Ingredients
2 cups Cherry Tomatoes halved
1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
4 cloves Garlic minced
1 tsp Dried Oregano
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
12 oz Pasta such as spaghetti penne or rigatoni
1 cup Whole-Milk Ricotta Cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
1/4 cup Fresh Basil Leaves chopped
1 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Place halved cherry tomatoes cut side up on prepared baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with olive oil. Scatter minced garlic over tomatoes.
4. Sprinkle oregano, salt, and pepper. Toss lightly and spread in a single layer cut side up.
5. Roast 20 to 25 minutes until soft caramelized and beginning to char at edges.
6. While tomatoes roast bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until al dente.
7. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. Drain pasta and return to pot.
8. In a large bowl combine ricotta, Parmesan, basil, and lemon juice. Stir until smooth.
9. Mash roasted tomatoes and garlic on the baking sheet releasing their juices.
10. Scrape all mashed tomatoes and every drop of caramelized juice into the ricotta mixture. Stir to combine.
11. Pour tomato ricotta sauce over pasta and toss to coat.
12. Add reserved pasta water a tablespoon at a time until sauce is silky and coats pasta.
13. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve with extra Parmesan and basil.
Notes
Always reserve pasta water before draining. It is essential for a silky sauce consistency.
Scrape every drop of caramelized juice from the baking sheet into the sauce.
Use whole-milk ricotta only for the creamiest most silky result.
The lemon juice brightens and balances the sweetness of the roasted tomatoes.
Store refrigerated up to 3 days. Reheat gently with a drizzle of olive oil or water.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course, Dinner
- Method: Baking, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 620mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 82g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 45mg
Keywords: roasted tomato ricotta pasta, tomato ricotta pasta recipe, creamy roasted tomato pasta, easy vegetarian pasta dinner
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