Roasted Cherry Tomato Marinara with Basil

Happy Labour Day!

We have enjoyed a bounty of cherry tomatoes and herbs this summer from our garden.  I find the most delicious way to make a marinara sauce is to roast the vegetables. This sauce is so flavourful, you will only need enough to coat the noodles.  It's quick to prep and even though it takes awhile to roast,  the reward is like nothing found in a jar.

• 8 cups cherry tomatoes
• 2 medium yellow onions
• 1 whole bulb garlic
• avocado or olive oil
• salt and pepper 
• 1 teaspoon red chili pepper flakes
• 1 cup fresh basil (a handful)
• 1/4 cup fresh oregano (or 1 teaspoon dried, if you are using dried oregano, add it to the vegetables when roasting)
• 4 Sweet Basil Italian sausage (optional)

1. Slice the cherry tomatoes in half and arrange cut side up on a cookie sheet which you have lined with parchment paper or foil.
2. Dice the onions and sprinkle over the pan.
3. Drizzle lightly with oil to coat vegetables. 
4. Slice the top off the bulb of garlic.   Put the bulb on a piece of foil and drizzle oil over top.  Press the foil around the bulb and add to the pan.
5. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and chili pepper flakes.
6. Slice each sausage into four pieces and set aside to add to the pan for the last 30 minutes of roasting.
7. Roast in a 400 F oven for an hour and a half or until the vegetables have roasted and most of the liquid has cooked away.  
8. Remove sausage from pan and keep warm. Reserve 1 cup of vegetables.  Squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins and add with the remaining vegetables to a food processor along with the fresh basil and oregano.  Pulse until the basil is chopped.

• 1/2 of a small box cooked spaghetti noodles with 1 cup cooking liquid reserved for the sauce
• grated parmesan cheese

1. Add the sauce to the pot with the cooked pasta and add enough cooking liquid to adequately coat the pasta with sauce.
2. Arrange pasta on a serving dish, garnish with reserved vegetables and parmesan cheese. 

Serves 3-4