Pasta with baked cherry tomatoes

1 lb of spaghetti is enough for 4 people

At least 1 lb of cherry tomatoes ( I always use about a pound and a half - about 3 pint boxes)

8 garlic cloves, sliced

1/3 cup dry bread crumbs (can use panko bread crumbs or regular bread crumbs)

1/4 tsp chilli flakes

Some parsley, chopped

Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Halve the cherry tomatoes.  Toss them with some olive oil, the bread crumbs, chilli flakes and salt.  Spread them out on the baking sheet in a single layer.  The cut halves should be facing up.  Bake until the tomatoes are shriveled and lightly caramelized, but not dried out.  This should take about 25 minutes.  The tomatoes can be made ahead of time.  Sometimes, I bake a big batch and freeze them in a ziploc bag.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta.  Fill a large pot with water and salt it generously, should taste like sea water.  Let it come to a full boil.  Then, add the pasta and stir immediately so the pasta does not stick to each other.  Cook until al dente.  The time given on the pasta box is just a ballpark figure.  Check periodically to see if pasta is cooked.

While the pasta is cooking, add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a large skillet set on medium heat.  Add the sliced garlic to the cold oil, and cook for a few minutes until the garlic starts sizzling and lightly colored.  Never let the garlic brown too much as it will become bitter.  Add a cup of water, preferably pasta cooking water from the stockpot.  Let it boil for some time until half the water evaporates, then add the chopped parsley and stir everything together to form a sauce.  

Once the pasta is done, add it to the skillet, add the cherry tomatoes and mix everything well.  Check for salt.  Add cheese and serve.