What's For Dinner Wednesday: Caprese Pasta with Honey Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes

If I were going to write a cookbook based on A Squared recipes, it would probably be a collection of caprese-style recipes. Looking back at everything I have made and posted here, it is clear that we LOVE some tomato, basil, and mozzarella in this house! And it's true. We have made caprese omelets, caprese & roasted pepper panzanella, a caprese spaghetti squash bake, penne with tomato pesto & smoked mozzarella, easy angel hair with tomatoes, basil & mozzarella... this list goes on and on. Today, I'm sharing another twist on my favorite flavor combination: Caprese Pasta with Honey Balsamic Roasted Tomatoes.

This light and simple pasta is a perfect weeknight meal. It comes together quickly, it's meatless (perfect for Meatless Mondays or now, a Lenten Friday), and it's that classic caprese flavor combination with a twist. Small tomatoes are tossed in a mixture of sweet honey and tangy balsamic vinegar and then oven roasted until soft and sweet. Combined with nutty whole grain pasta, creamy mozzarella, and fresh basil, the tangy sweet tomatoes really shine.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb. thin spaghetti *I used the Barilla Whole Grain variety
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 Tbs. Balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 Tbs. Honey
• 1/8 tsp. red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes
• 10 fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
• 2/3 cup fresh mozzarella pearls or diced fresh mozzarella

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, do not rinse, and transfer to a large bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, honey, pepper flakes, salt and pepper until combined. Add tomatoes and toss to coat. Spread the mixture out on a rimmed nonstick baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes, remove to stir, and roast for another 10 minutes.

Pour the hot tomato mixture including all pan liquid over the pasta and toss well to evenly coat.

Transfer the pasta to serving bowls (2-4, depending on how hungry you are), top with basil and mozzarella, and serve.