Weeknight Tomato Balsamic Spaghetti

I've been going through spurts with my cooking lately. Some weeks I'm full of energy and whipping up meals, bothering to set up my lighting so I can take a decent picture, and enjoying myself in the kitchen. Other weeks I'm exhausted from being (almost) halfway through my pregnancy, parenting a 3 year old, and teaching 5th graders. Those weeks I rely on meals that "cook themselves" and this is one of them. As you can see I didn't even bother to set up my lighting- hence the picture being pretty meh... I literally held my bowl in one hand, snapped a picture with the other, then sat on the couch and ate this. So.. yeah. Some weeks are rough.

This pasta is so amazingly easy to make. The end result is very flavorful but the effort going in is minimal. John and I both loved this. I loved it so much I'm making it again this week. The week may not have even begun, but I can already tell it's going to be a barely-cooking week.

Source: Stephanie Cooks Original

Ingredients:
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 tsp olive oil
Garlic salt
Pepper
3 tbsp good quality balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup light cream
1/2 pound spaghetti, cooked

Directions:
1- Preheat the oven to 400.
2- In a small oven safe baking dish toss the tomatoes with the oil. Season with garlic salt and pepper.
3- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the tomatoes start to burst apart.
4- Carefully mash the tomatoes, breaking them apart and releasing their juices. Add the balsamic vinegar and stir well. Transfer the mixture to skillet.
5- Over low heat combine the tomato mixture with the cream. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes.
6- Add the cooked spaghetti, stir well. Allow to cook over low heat 2 minutes until the sauce coats the pasta.
7- Top with dried parsley and parmesan, if desired.