Equipment
Ingredients
Tomatoes
- 500 g cherry tomatoes, halved
- 60 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 5 g kosher salt
Pasta and Finishes
- 400 g spaghetti
- 100 g pecorino romano, finely grated
- 15 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- 2 g black pepper, freshly cracked
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 638 kcal
- Protein
- 23 g
- Carbohydrates
- 81 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 8 g
- Sodium
- 1187 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 9 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Potassium
- 276 mg
- Calcium
- 321 mg
- Iron
- 3.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 56 mg
- Phosphorus
- 382 mg
- Zinc
- 1.5 mg
- Vitamin A
- 16 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 5 mg
- Vitamin E
- 2.3 mg
- Vitamin K
- 71 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Thiamin
- 0.89 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.41 mg
- Niacin
- 7.2 mg
- Folate
- 243 mcg
- Water
- 13 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Preheat the oven to 120°C/250°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the halved cherry tomatoes on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle with the extra virgin olive oil and season with kosher salt. Roast in the oven for 2 hours until the tomatoes are shriveled, deeply caramelized, and have released their juices.
About 15 minutes before the tomatoes are done, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
Before draining the pasta, carefully scoop out and reserve about 120ml of the starchy pasta cooking water.
Transfer the drained spaghetti to a large skillet off the heat. Scrape all the roasted tomatoes and their infused oil from the baking sheet into the pasta. Add the finely grated Pecorino Romano, chopped parsley, black pepper, and half of the reserved pasta water.
Toss everything together vigorously using tongs until the cheese melts into the oil and water, forming a glossy, emulsified sauce that coats the noodles. Add more pasta water if the dish seems dry.
Chef's Notes
- The success of a five-ingredient dish rests entirely on ingredient quality. Use the best extra virgin olive oil and genuine Pecorino Romano PDO you can source.
- Slow-roasting tomatoes at 120C (250F) gently dehydrates them, intensifying their natural glutamates and umami characteristics without burning the delicate olive oil.
- Pecorino Romano is significantly saltier than Parmigiano-Reggiano. Taste your final emulsified sauce before adding any additional salt to the finished dish.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store in an airtight container.
Reheating: Reheat gently in a skillet over medium-low heat with a splash of water to re-emulsify the sauce.
Troubleshooting
The cheese clumped together instead of forming a smooth sauce
Cause: The pan was too hot when adding the cheese, or the cheese was not grated finely enough
Fix: Add a splash of boiling pasta water and toss vigorously, though severe protein clumps cannot be completely undone
Prevention: Always mix the cheese into the pasta entirely off the heat, and use a microplane to grate the Pecorino into an airy snow
Sauce is oily and sliding off the pasta
Cause: Poor emulsification due to lack of starchy water or insufficient agitation
Fix: Add 30ml more hot pasta water and toss aggressively for another 60 seconds
Prevention: Reserve thoroughly starchy water right at the end of the pasta boil
Cultural Context
This recipe is an ode to the Italian culinary philosophy of cucina povera (peasant cooking), which relies on technique and time rather than expensive ingredients. Slow-roasting extracts maximum flavor from late-season tomatoes, allowing them to carry the entire dish with minimal support.
