Fusilli with Roasted Tomato Sauce

Roasting the tomatoes first for this easy pasta sauce heightens their flavor - yum!

Core, halve, and seed 6 large tomatoes. Place the tomatoes, cut sides down, on a baking pan brushed with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Arrange 3 crushed garlic cloves around the tomatoes, and sprinkle the tomatoes with 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (use 1/4 tsp. dried thyme if you prefer), and 1/4 tsp. salt.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes. Drain the juices form the pan, then return to the oven for an additional 30 minutes. I took mine out of the oven about 10 minutes early, but I believe that is due to the fact that I'm cooking at high elevation tonight (in Utah!), where cooking times can vary significantly.

Remove the tomatoes from the pan and let cool slightly - discard the juice and crushed garlic. Peel and coarsely chop the tomatoes, and set aside. (Note: I also skipped the peeling step; again, I think due to the elevation, my tomatoes were almost too roasted, and removing the skins proved difficult).

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add 2 chopped garlic cloves to the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chopped tomatoes, and 2 and 1/2 tablespoons chopped basil; cook for 3 minutes. Add 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, and 3 and 1/2 cups cooked fusilli pasta (about 8 ounces of uncooked pasta); toss to coat.

Serve 1 cup pasta topped with 1 tablespoon shredded vegan cheese in place of Parmesan (such as the vegan mozzarella from Galaxy Foods). You'll have 4 servings of 350 calories each. Garnish with additional sprigs of fresh basil if you like, for a pretty presentation.

Note: the original recipe actually called for long fusilli pasta, the coils of which are not as tight as those on regular fusilli. I could only find regular fusilli in an organic brand, however (from Whole Foods' house brand), which worked just fine.

Cost:
tomatoes $20.55
garlic $0.80
thyme $2.99
basil $2.99
fusilli pasta $1.99