Roasted Garlic Tomato and Sausage Pasta

I saw this recipe on Cooking This and That and immediately though, Chris will love this! I am not big on sausage but have started putting hot Italian sausage in my meatballs and don't mind it too much on pizza. I hoped this pasta would be as good for me as it would be for Chris. He saw the recipe and insisted I make it immediately!

1 box of small pasta, she suggested penne but we used rotini
1 large head garlic, top sliced off
1 can of fire roasted tomatos (she used grape tomatoes cut in half, roasted with the rest of the veggies)
1 large red onion, quartered and layers separated
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
large pinches of kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper
8 ounces hot Italian sausage, bulk or remove the casing.
extra virgin olive oil
large handful of grated Parmesan cheese
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, diced
fresh basil to garnish

Instructions quoted from Cooking This and That

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with foil.

Place the garlic, tomatoes, and onion on the baking sheet. Whisk together the vinegar and olive oil in a small bowl and use a pastry brush to spread over vegetables. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for 30-35 minutes, or until garlic is browned and mushy and other vegetables are slightly charred.

Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of water to a boil, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Crumble the sausage and cook thoroughly; remove to a paper towel to drain. Wipe out skillet with paper towel.

Once vegetables are done, remove from oven and transfer to skillet the sausage was cooked in. Remove the garlic cloves from the skin. (You may need to wait a little bit for the garlic to cool enough to handle.) Mash the garlic and tomatoes if desired with a fork.

Add pasta, sausage, and Parmesan cheese to skillet. Mix until pasta is coated, adding extra olive oil as needed. Gently mix in the mozzarella and garnish with basil. Transfer to a large bowl and serve immediately.