Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes and Pancetta Bread Crumb Topping

Spaghetti with Roasted Tomatoes with Pancetta Garlic Crust
Even though it is hot outside I am thinking about fall. I am inside Starbucks drinking a hot non fat latte as the temperatures creep higher. Inside here it is like an ice box. I love fall. I love the crisp fall days (a long way off for us) and the autumn foods.

Though I am supposed to be writing other things,  here I am writing about spaghetti and family dinners. Which is funny because I am single but the aunt of three adorable niece and nephews. Each Friday we cook, sit down to eat and  talk about their week. This week it will be fun to hear about their first week back to school.

This dish was created after seeing a photo of a dish with roasted tomatoes on top of a platter of spaghetti. I recreated the concept using my goat cheese stuffed tomatoes. The dish is great for a family dinner and makes for a pretty presentation.

You could substitute ricotta cheese or not stuff them based on your preferences.

Spaghetti with Goat Cheese Stuffed Tomatoes & Pancetta Crumb Topping

Serves 4

1/2 cup diced pancetta
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs
4 tomatoes, tops sliced off, seeds scooped out
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 ounces goat cheese
Salt and pepper
Fresh thyme & basil chopped
1/2 pound spaghetti

Preheat the oven to 350. Fry the pancetta in a skillet over medium heat until browned and crisp. Use a slotted spatula to lift the pancetta out onto a paper towels to soak up the excess oil. Add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil to the same skillet. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring often, until they are golden.

tomatoes to roast

Mix together the goat cheese, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl. Stuff each of the tomatoes with the goat cheese mixture. Mound some bread crumbs on top and sprinkle with pancetta and fresh herbs. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast the tomatoes in the oven 30 to 40 minutes.

Cook the spaghetti in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain.

Serve the spaghetti with the roasted tomatoes and their juices spooned on top.

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