Baked Tomato Spaghetti
From Sunset Magazine September 1989
12
medium (1 1/2 lbs) of Roma style tomatoes Salt and pepper 6
garlic cloves, minced 1/3 cup minced Italian parsley Olive
oil 1 lb of dried spaghetti (or other pasta: bucatini or
percatelli are nice) 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves or 1/4
cup fresh Grated Parmesan, Romano or a mixture
Cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and set cut side up in an
appropriately sized baking dish. Combine garlic, parsley
and a few tablespoons of oil along with salt and pepper.
Put a teaspoon or so of the garlic mixture on the top of
each tomato half, using up all of the mixture. Salt and
pepper the tomatoes and drizzle with more olive oil. Bake
the tomatoes for about an hour at 400 degrees until they
are browned, but not burned.
Prepare the spaghetti according to the package. Remove
about 8-12 of the best looking tomatoes and place on a
plate. Using a spoon, remove and discard the skins from the
remaining tomatoes, mash them and add the basil. Stir in
the cooked pasta to coat it with the sauce and add some
cheese. This is ideally done in the tomato baking pan to
take advantage of the pan juices. Place the reserved
tomatoes on top and sprinkle with some more cheese. Serves
four.