I made the easy pasta dish with 'tomato candy' from Michelle Obama's new Netflix show and think it's the perfect simple meal

• "Waffles + Mochi" is Netflix's new children's culinary show starring Michelle Obama.
• In the first episode, chef Samin Nosrat demonstrated an easy pasta dish with "tomato candy."
• After trying it out, I think it's perfect for anyone who loves simple pasta.

In the first episode of "Waffles + Mochi," the new Michelle and Barack Obama-produced children's show on Netflix, award-winning cookbook author Samin Nosrat shows the namesake characters how to make pasta with "tomato candy."

It's a simple dish made with short pasta, fresh basil, Parmigiano Reggiano, and tomatoes cooked until they taste like candy, according to the "Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat" host.

Since I'm a fan of simplicity and freshness when it comes to pasta dishes, I thought this sounded like something I needed to try for myself. Nosrat's recipe was included in production notes shared with Insider by the "Waffles + Mochi" team.

The recipe requires just a few simple ingredients and is very customizable

I went into the store with a short list of only six ingredients. Nosrat's recipe calls for short pasta (any kind), fresh basil, cherry tomatoes, cheese for grating, and sugar.

Staring at the vast array of pasta varieties on the shelf, I went with farfalle - a personal favorite of mine that always brings me back to my childhood.

I also chose to stick with Nosrat's recommendation of Parmigiano Reggiano for the cheese, although her recipe gives home cooks the go-ahead to choose another like Asiago, Pecorino Romano, ricotta salata, feta, or ricotta.

Give yourself enough time to roast the tomatoes - it's worth it

I made the mistake of reading the recipe as I cooked it instead of reading it through before starting. To my surprise, Nosrat's method requires five hours to turn the tomatoes into "candy."

Since I started cooking at 3 p.m., what I thought would be a late lunch turned into a very late dinner. But despite the long cooking time, the actual process is incredibly simple. After tossing the tomatoes in olive oil, salt, and sugar, I just popped them into the oven and said goodbye until 8 p.m.

When they were finally done, I was reminded that patience really does pay off. The tomatoes were somewhat bitter and acidic, and they made the glands in the back of my jaw tingle. They're sticky in some places and bursting with juice in others.

While I enjoyed them all, I think I should have pulled some out sooner than others - some shriveled to the point of drying out and lost their delightful zing. The dry tomatoes were mostly bitter while the others had a sweetness that came through in the soft bits.

The perfectly candied cherries had the flavor of sun-dried tomatoes, but the texture of roasted ones.

Nosrat's quick pasta dish has perfectly balanced flavors

Once the tomatoes are cooked, the rest of the preparation is seamless - and fast.

I cooked the pasta in extremely salty water (I put a little more than one tablespoon in my quart-sized pot) as per Nosrat's instructions, grated a lot of cheese, and tore up a bunch of fresh basil leaves.

Nosrat recommends mixing the cheese, tomatoes, and olive oil into the pasta before adding in the basil. I found that this helps keep the herb fresh rather than wilting under the heat of the just-cooked pasta.

I first added more cheese than I would have thought I needed (use your judgment, people!) and still I had to add more. I had only briefly drained my pasta so that there was still a tiny bit of the starchy cooking water left when I dumped it into a bowl. This helped the cheese adhere to all the nooks and crannies of each bow-tie noodle. It was beautiful.

I took my first bite immediately after folding in the torn basil leaves. It was fresh, bright, light, and perfectly salty. The feather-like shavings of cheese didn't weigh this dish down the same way melted mozzarella does. Bursts of intense flavor from the tomatoes were balanced beautifully by the freshness and fragrance of the basil leaves.

This dish is also great for meal-prepping - as is the tomato candy

If you're going to batch-prepare this meal, I recommend leaving basil out until you're ready to serve each portion.

I'd also recommend making a large batch of tomato candy, regardless of how many pasta servings you're cooking up.

To preserve the tomato candy, Nosrat recommends putting them into a jar and covering with olive oil - that way, she says, they'll stay good in the refrigerator for up to six weeks. The freezer is also an option: Freeze the candy first in a single layer on a baking sheet, transfer to a freezer bag once frozen, and it'll keep for up to six months.

And the tomato candy is perfect for adding to more than just this one pasta dish. I'll definitely be adding these to salads, chicken dishes, and even hors d'oeuvre boards from now on.