While the Midwest doesn’t have the climate to sun dry tomatoes outdoors, you can pop them in your oven to dry. The payoff: Sweet and leathery tomato pieces that can be added to dishes like today’s Spaghetti with Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce.
Figure you’ll need several pounds of fresh plum tomatoes. We used 13 plum tomatoes, which gave us about 1 cup of dried tomatoes.
Remove the stems, rinse tomatoes under cool water and pat dry. Cut in half lengthwise. Core them and remove the seeds.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the tomatoes, skin side down, on the pan. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees, with the rack in the center. Bake for about 8 to 10 hours for tomatoes about 3 inches long and 1½ inches in diameter. Smaller tomatoes will take less time; check after about 6 hours. The tomatoes will shrivel to small, flat, leathery pieces about 1½ inches long.
Store the tomatoes in the refrigerator for up to six months. They can be hard to slice with a knife because of their chewy texture. Scissors work best.
SPAGHETTI WITH CREAMY
SUN-DRIED TOMATO SAUCE
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 cup onion, finely diced
3 tbsp. real bacon bits
2 garlic cloves, peeled, minced
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. black pepper
⅔ cup fat-free half-and-half
⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
¼ cup red wine
1 can (15 oz.) no-salt-added tomato puree
½ tsp. dried basil
5 cups hot cooked whole wheat spaghetti
In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat; add the onion, bacon bits, garlic, salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
Add the half-and-half, sun-dried tomatoes, wine, tomato puree and basil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce is slightly thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat.
While the sauce is cooking, prepare the pasta according to package directions. Toss the sauce with the cooked pasta and serve.
Makes 5 servings.