Roast canned tomatoes for a savory red pesto to toss with pasta

There is nothing unusual about grabbing a couple of cans of tomatoes off the shelf to make a pasta sauce, particularly in the winter when tomatoes are offseason. That’s where this recipe starts. But it quickly veers into uncommonly good territory as these canned tomatoes are roasted. Canned tomatoes are already cooked, so their flavor is somewhat concentrated, but roasting them doubles down on that, further intensifying their umami and imparting a fire-cooked essence. That deep, complex, savoriness anchors this mouthwatering pesto.

To roast the tomatoes for this recipe, you fish out whole, peeled tomatoes from their cans, clean them of their juices, which vary in thickness depending on the brand of tomatoes you buy, then use your thumbs to split them and remove their seeds, a task which feels to me more like a hands-on craft project than a chore.

Then you toss the tomato filets with a handful of unpeeled garlic cloves and oil, spread them out on a sheet pan, and roast until the garlic is soft and golden and the tomatoes develop a light char on the edges.

The tomatoes and garlic then go into a food processor with toasted almonds, lots of fresh basil, a brightening splash of red wine vinegar, a warming hint of crushed red pepper and some salt. Once that is whirred together, you drizzle in olive oil until everything is incorporated, and then add a punch of Parmesan cheese.

The resulting pesto is a big, juicy hug of intense tomato flavor layered with savory cheesiness, crunchy nuttiness and herbal freshness. Tossed with just-cooked spaghetti (ideally, whole grain for its nutty flavor, which echoes the almonds so well, as well as its nutrition), showered with more Parmesan cheese and topped with fresh basil leaves, it’s an extraordinary meal that reveals the exciting possibilities of an ordinary pantry ingredient.

Spaghetti With Roasted Tomato-Almond Pesto

Roasting canned tomatoes for pesto doubles down on their savory flavor, intensifying them and imparting a fire-cooked essence in this pantry-friendly pasta. That deep, complex flavor, along with roasted garlic, toasted almonds, fresh basil and savory parmesan cheese, make for an absolutely mouthwatering pesto. Toss spaghetti – ideally whole-grain for its nutty flavor and nutrition, but regular is okay – with the sauce, and top each bowl with more parmesan and fresh basil for an extraordinary meal.

Depending on the brand of canned tomatoes you use, their juices/liquid will vary in consistency. Cento and Whole Foods brands will have more watery liquid, while Bella Napoli will have thick, pulp-like sauce surrounding the tomatoes. Depending on what brand you use, you may end up with extra pesto; you will need 2 cups for this recipe.

INGREDIENTS

2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled tomatoes (see headnote)

6 cloves garlic, unpeeled

½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

⅔ cup sliced almonds

⅔ cup (scant 1 ounce) lightly packed fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

2 teaspoons red wine vinegar

½ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, plus more for serving

⅔ cup (2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 pound spaghetti, preferably whole-grain

DIRECTIONS

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Set a large fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Use your fingers to fish out a tomato from one of the cans, and rub off the juices/sauce, which may be thick or thin, depending on the brand. Seed the tomato as best you can – it’s fine if some of the seeds remain – then transfer to the strainer set over the bowl. Repeat with the remaining tomatoes. Reserve all of the tomato juices, including the ones that drain into the bowl. Transfer the drained tomatoes and garlic cloves to the now-empty bowl, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and toss to combine. Spread the tomatoes and garlic out on an unlined large sheet pan and roast on the top rack for 15 minutes. Stir, return to the top rack and continue roasting for another 15 minutes, or until the garlic has softened and the tomatoes are slightly charred around the edges. Let cool slightly, about 10 minutes.

While the tomatoes are roasting, set a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Arrange the almonds in a single layer on a small sheet pan. Transfer the pan to the lower rack and toast for 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden and fragrant, stirring or shaking the pan every few minutes and checking on the nuts. Transfer to a plate to cool.

Place the nuts in a food processor and pulse until finely ground. Squeeze the garlic out of its skin and add to the nuts, along with the roasted tomatoes, basil, vinegar, salt and crushed red pepper flakes, and pulse until combined. With the processor running, drizzle in the remaining ½ cup of olive oil in a steady stream and process until incorporated. If the mixture seems too dry, add 1 tablespoon of the reserved tomato juices (save the rest for another use) or water. Add ⅓ cup (1 ounce) of the Parmesan cheese and pulse to combine. Depending on the brand of tomatoes you use, you should get between 2 and 4 cups of pesto.

When the water comes to a boil, season it with salt, if desired. Add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the pot, add 2 cups of the pesto and toss to combine, adding the reserved pasta water as needed to loosen. Taste, and season with additional salt, if desired. Divide among shallow bowls, garnish with the remaining ⅓ cup (1 ounce) of Parmesan cheese and basil leaves, add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes, if desired, and serve.

Yields: 6 servings, or about 8½ cups

Substitutions: In place of almonds, try walnuts, pecans or pine nuts. Nut-free? Try sunflower or pumpkin seeds. If you can’t have gluten, use your favorite gluten-free spaghetti.

Storage: Refrigerate for up to 4 days. If you have extra pesto, refrigerate for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

Active time: 30 mins; Total time: 50 mins

Nutrition per serving (scant 1 cup), based on 8: 441 calories, 49g carbohydrates, 6mg cholesterol, 24g fat, 2g fiber, 14g protein, 4g saturated fat, 420mg sodium, 2g sugar

Ellie Krieger. Krieger is a registered dietitian nutritionist and cookbook author who hosts public television’s “Ellie’s Real Good Food.” Learn more at www.elliekrieger.com.