When labneh is combined with roasted tomatoes, a new staple pasta sauce is born. The sweet and the tart mix together to cloak every bite of al dente pappardelle, which I chose specifically because its wide, flat surface is a great vehicle for the sauce. Fresh za’atar, if you can get it, really makes a difference; oregano, marjoram, or a sprinkle of dried za’atar spice blend would do great work here, too. Since labneh can separate on its own, I add just enough cream to stabilize the sauce.
Recipe from Sababa: Fresh, Sunny Flavors from My Israeli Kitchen courtesy of Adeena Sussman/Avery Penguin Books.
Ingredients
For the roasted sheet pan tomatoes:
- 2 pounds (6 cups) cherry tomatoes, rinsed and dried
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the pappardelle:
- ¾ pound dried pappardelle pasta
- 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for tossing the pasta
- 3 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp dried red pepper flakes
- 1 recipe Roasted Sheet Pan Tomatoes
- 3 Tbsp heavy cream or half-and-half
- ½ tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
- ½ cup labneh or Greek yogurt
- chopped fresh or dried za’atar, chopped fresh or dried oregano or marjoram, or za’atar, for serving
Directions
- To roast the cherry tomatoes, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Dump the tomatoes on a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle with the olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Give the baking sheet a shake to coat the tomatoes. Roast until the tomatoes are shriveled and some of the juice releases onto the pan, 20 to 25 minutes (you don’t want to take these too far because then that juice will evaporate, and basically that juice adds the essence of tomato flavor straight from the heavens into anything it touches). Allow the tomatoes to cool, and make sure to scrape up and use the slightly jellied juices that collect on the pan.
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil over medium-high heat and cook the pasta until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving ¼ cup of the pasta water, and toss the pasta in a little bit of olive oil right in the colander to keep it from sticking.
- Add the 3 Tbsp of the olive oil to the empty pasta pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, then add the garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Cook over medium heat, stirring, until the cumin is fragrant and the garlic is light golden, 2 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, cream, salt, and black pepper, reduce the heat to medium-low, and warm through, 2 minutes.
- Add the labneh or Greek yogurt, warm through for another minute, then add the pasta and toss it in the sauce, adding a little bit of the pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Season with salt and pepper, divide among 4 bowls, and garnish with za’atar.
