Penne with white beans, roasted garlic and tomatos

I first saw this dish on a Food Network show about two years ago - and I've been making it ever since. It's one of my husband's favorites. My version is slightly modified, because I think that the original just isn't flavorful enough. Roasting the garlic and tomatos is time-consuming, but it's still a very simple dish to make.

-4 or 5 vine tomatos
-1 small head garlic
-4 tbsp olive oil
-1 tbsp salt
-1/2 tbsp pepper
-1 pound of penne pasta
-1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Separate the head of garlic, leaving the cloves in their paper wrapping. Dice the tomatos, remove the seeds.

Toss the tomatos, garlic, salt, pepper and 1 tbsp of the olive oil in a 9x9" glass casserole dish, spreading evenly throughout the pan. Roast in the oven for 45-50 minutes.

While that is roasting, boil the pasta until al dente - once you drain out the water, add the can of rinsed cannellini beans and toss it all together. (No need to cook! The heat from the pasta will warm the beans).

When the tomatos come out of the oven, use a spoon to fish out the garlic, set aside to cool. When they are cool enough to touch, squeeze out the garlic into a small bowl, add the remaining olive oil, and mash with a fork until it's very pasty.

Add the paste back to the dish with the tomatos, stir until the garlic coats everything. Then, dump the tomatos into the pot with the pasta and beans, mix it all together, and serve!

(Vegan/Vegetarian)