Our weekly veggie box from Johnson’s Backyard Garden obviously varies by season. Summer is the season for eggplant, tomatoes, squash, and peppers. We’ve also been getting some great potatoes, fresh basil, and green beans over the last few weeks.

This week we got 2lbs of conventional tomatoes, plus a couple of stunning heirlooms. Using up all those tomatoes before they go soft is a challenge of epic proportions. So I’ve taken to roasting them a la Smitten Kitchen and using them in sauces.

I cut the big ones into wedges, they take about 4 hours of slow roasting to reduce a bit. But the little cherry tomatoes – those are best used thusly:

Quick Roasted Tomato Pasta

1 cup slow roasted cherry tomatoes (still warm if possible)
2 large cloves roasted garlic, minced
2 thick slices fresh mozzarella, cubed
4-5 leaves fresh basil, sliced thinly
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups hot pasta (small pieces are best)

Combine ingredients 1-4 in a bowl, tossing lightly with a small drizzle of olive oil. Add hot pasta (preferably just drained) and toss quickly, adding a bit more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Nom!