Meatless Monday: Penne With Roasted Tomatoes

Go meat-free today with Ellie Krieger's hearty tomato and white bean pasta dish.
By: Michelle Buffardi

Related To:

Penne Recipe

Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic, and White Beans; Ellie Krieger

Photo by: Tara Donne

Tara Donne

One of my favorite recipes from Ellie Krieger is her Penne with Roasted Tomatoes, Garlic, and White Beans. Ordinarily, I'm no fan of out-of-season, winter tomatoes, but when you roast them, it deepens their flavor and makes them sweeter. And the garlic in the recipe is roasted, too, making its flavor more mellow and sort of nutty. The roasting part of this recipe takes about 40 minutes, but if you've got the time, it's totally worth it; it makes it seem as if tomato season wasn't seven months away.

The roasting is inactive so you'll be able to do something better with your time while you're waiting for the tomatoes to be ready. Once the tomatoes are done, the recipe comes together in about 10 minutes.

Yield:4 (1 1/2 cup) servings

3 large tomatoes, cut into wedges
4 cloves garlic, unpeeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1(15 ounce) can cannellini beans
1/2 pound penne pasta
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Slice each tomato into 8 wedges and discard the seeds. Put the tomato wedges and garlic into a 9 by 13-inch roasting pan. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and a few turns of pepper. Roast in the oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.

Drain the beans into a large colander in the sink. Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package. Drain the pasta into the colander containing the beans, so the hot pasta water will warm the beans. Return drained pasta and beans to the pasta pot.

When the tomatoes are done, pick out the garlic cloves, squeeze the garlic out of the skin into a small bowl and mash with a fork. Pour the roasted tomatoes into the pasta pot, add the garlic, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the basil and additional salt and pepper, to taste. Toss to combine. Serve topped with the Parmesan.

Meatless Monday Movers and Shakers: Food Bloggers

Since the Meatless Monday movement took off, chefs and restaurants have joined, offering meat-free specials to patrons on Mondays; celebrities have spoken and tweeted about their commitment to Meatless Mondays; many schools and universities now offer more meat-free options to students, especially on Mondays and national food brands offer special discounts and coupons on meatless products. But food bloggers have one of the largest collective voices when it comes to giving up meat once a week.

Some -- the vegan and vegetarian bloggers -- have always been so, but others choose to go meatless on their blogs every Monday, in support of the movement. Check out the list of bloggers who go meatless every Monday, like Foodie Tots, Appetite for Conversation, Circle B Kitchen and Mosaic Kitchen, and if you're a food blogger who goes meatless on Mondays, let the folks at Meatless Monday know so they can add you to their round-up.

More Healthy Meatless Recipes:

Next Up

Meatless Monday: Homemade Hummus

There are about a million hummus variations, pick one or go classic this Meatless Monday.

Meatless Monday: Baked Penne With Roasted Vegetables

Eat more vegetables by adding roasted zucchini, peppers, onions and mushrooms to cheesy baked penne.

Meatless Monday: Roasted Cauliflower

Cauliflower may seem a little boring -- it's the least colorful vegetable out there. But what it lacks in vibrancy, it makes up for with versatility.

Meatless Monday: Paella with Tomatoes

Smoked paprika adds a smoky, almost bacon-like flavor to recipes; use it in vegetarian dishes like Mark Bittman's Tomato Paella.

Meatless Monday: Penne With Spinach Sauce

The best pasta recipes are the ones where the sauce is made in the time it takes to cook the pasta. Giada's Penne With Spinach Sauce is one such recipe.

Meatless Monday: Oven Roasted Broccoli

Drizzled with olive oil and thrown in a hot oven, broccoli caramelizes and takes on a smoky sweetness. Add breadcrumbs, garlic and a bit of cheese, and I think you have a chance of winning over broccoli haters.

Meatless Monday: Roasted Butternut Squash

You've probably been seeing a lot of recipes for butternut squash lately, and for good reason. It's rich, creamy and sweet, making it hard to believe that it's healthy-- good source of fiber, low in fat, high in antioxidant-rich vitamin C kind of healthy.

Meatless Monday: Pasta with Winter Squash and Tomatoes

Make Mark Bittman's savory fall pasta dish: ziti with butternut squash and tomato sauce, for Meatless Monday.

Meatless Monday: Zucchini Parmesan Subs With Tomatoes and Basil

Eggplant isn't the only vegetable that can get the Parmesan treatment. Layer breaded zucchini, cheese and tomato sauce on baguettes as an alternative.

On TV

So Much Pretty Food Here