Roasted cherry tomatoes with white beans is one of my go-to dishes. It is quick, easy to prepare and uses few ingredients. It can be served both as a side dish and as a main vegetarian dish. I love to top it with fresh white cheese (either feta or xinomyzithra) and eat it with crusty bread and a green salad.
INGREDIENTS
Roughly 5-6 tablespoons olive oil
400g very ripe cherry tomatoes, halved
4-6 small garlic cloves, peeled
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 tbsp tomato paste
1tbsp dried oregano
Chilli flakes (optional)
1 15-ounce can cannellini or other white bean, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, loosely packed. You can also use fresh oregano or thyme
INSTRUCTIONS
Heat your oven to 180°C.
Pour 2-3 tablespoons of the olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the tomatoes in the dish, cut side up. Add the garlic cloves around the dish. Drizzle with another 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, and season with salt, pepper, oregano and chilli. Add 1 heaped tablespoon of tomato paste and stir well.
Roast the tomatoes for 30 minutes, or until everything is bubbly and juicy. Remove from the oven and use a fork to lightly mash the tomatoes and garlic. Once the garlic is soft and the tomatoes are sufficiently squishy, add drained beans and more salt and pepper if needed and stir to combine.
Return to the oven for 5 minutes.
Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, scatter with basil and eat right away, either as is or ladled over crispy bread. I also like to add a squeeze of lemon.
