Roasted plum tomatoes with rotini. Eaten with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano.

You know those nights where you’re a bit headachey and quite tired and can’t be bothered with a multi-tasked and well-balanced meal? Yes, of course you do. Dinner tonight was one of those.

It was inspired by this recipe, which slow roasts tomatoes with fennel seeds. For a little over a pound of plum tomatoes, I used about a tablespoon of fennel seeds, which are slightly “aged” and likely not as potent as they could be. I used four cloves of garlic, an unmeasured amount of olive oil and popped it all in the oven at 425°F for 45 minutes, agitating every fifteen. I left the pan in the hot oven while the pasta finished cooking — and promptly soaked the empty baking dish, as things got a little stuck-on in the corners. (A warning.)

Dinner tonight was good. It’s definitely the type of dish that can come together quickly and effortlessly. You have more than enough time to fix a salad and cook a little sweet Italian sausage to go along with the pasta. Next time.