Turn tomato confit into an easy dinner
Start with my Slow-Roasted Tomato Confit with Garlic & Herbs. It can be made ahead of time, and can even be frozen, which turns this pasta into a very easy weeknight dinner. If you haven’t prepped the confit in advance, make sure to give yourself a couple hours for it to cook before using it in this dish. Don’t worry, that cook time is almost entirely hands off, so even if not prepped ahead of time, this meal comes together very easily.
The tomatoes stay a little jammy, the garlic disappears into the sauce, and the whole thing comes together in about 15 minutes if your confit is already made.
How to make tomato confit pasta
Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the fettuccine until almost al dente. Before draining, reserve at least 1/2 cup of pasta water.
Meanwhile, remove your confit from the oven. If you are using confit that has been prepped ahead of time, warm the tomato confit in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
Over low heat, add the drained pasta directly to the skillet and immediately spoon the confit over top. If you were already reheating the confit in the skillet, simply add your pasta to that pan.
Add in the Pecorino and a splash of pasta water and toss until the cheese melts into the tomato-infused oil and the sauce turns glossy, adding more pasta water as needed. For an extra-rich finish, toss in a tablespoon or two of butter.
Plate the pasta and spoon some of the extra confit over the top, then finish with torn fresh mozzarella, basil, more Pecorino, and a little fresh ground pepper.
A few notes
- The exact amount of confit is flexible. Use enough that every noodle gets coated and you still have plenty of jammy tomatoes throughout.
- Fresh or dried fettuccine both work. If you use fresh pasta, keep an eye on it because it cooks very quickly.
- Add the mozzarella after the pasta comes off the heat so it stays soft and creamy instead of disappearing completely into the sauce.
- Do not skip the pasta water. It is what helps the Pecorino and confit oil turn into a cohesive sauce instead of an oily one.
Tomato Confit Pasta Recipe
Tomato Confit Pasta with Pecorino & Fresh Mozzarella
Ingredients
Method
- Bring a pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the fettuccine until just shy of al dente. Reserve at least 1/2 cup pasta water before draining.
- Meanwhile, warm the tomato confit in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Gently mash some of the tomatoes and roasted garlic with the back of a spoon, leaving some tomatoes intact.
- Add the drained pasta to the skillet with the Pecorino and about 1/4 cup pasta water. Toss until the cheese melts into the tomato-infused oil and the sauce turns glossy, adding more pasta water as needed.
- For a richer sauce, toss in 1 to 2 tablespoons butter. Finish with torn fresh mozzarella, basil, more Pecorino, and black pepper. Serve immediately.