Pasta with Kalamata Olives, Capers, and Roasted Cherry Tomato Sauce

I adapted this recipe from Bon Appetit magazine. I scaled down the recipe and added a few extra ingredients that I had on hand. The original recipe calls for some toasted pine nuts. They would work really well in this dish, I just didn't have any at the time. This is a very flavorful dish that goes great with a glass of crisp white wine.


Serves 3-4

1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise, and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 Tablespoons fresh oregano, chopped
1 Tablespoon fresh Italian parsley, chopped
8 oz, short pasta (such as farfalle, rotini, gemelli, etc.)
3 Tablespoons pitted Katamala olives, halved
2 Tablespoons capers, drained and rinsed
2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

-Preheat the oven to 375 degress F
-Combine the tomatoes, oil, garlic, balsamic vinegar, and crushed red pepper in an 8x8 glass baking dish. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Roast until tomatoes are tender, about 45 minutes total. About about halfway through the roasting time, add the zucchini to the tomatoes and mix thoroughly. Once the mixture is removed from the oven stir in oregano and parsley. (Can be made 2 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.)
-Cook pasta in a pot of salted water according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Add tomato-zucchini mixture, olives, and capers. Stir over medium heat until heated through, about 2 minutes. Add the feta cheese and stir until creamy, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately.


Notes: This is a very simple, flavorful pasta dish. Make sure not to over season the tomato-zucchini mixture because all of the other ingredients (olives, capers, and feta) are quite salty.