Lunch Box Pasta ~ Penne in creamy tomato sauce

Penne in Creamy Tomato Sauce

If you ask me which is your addictive new cuisine? without any second thought I will say Italian! Yeah I became more comfortable trying Italian cuisine after coming to this country. Thanks to Giada, I learned to cook delicious and wonderful Italian recipes from Food TV.

But I admit that I don't like much cheese in my food. So I adjust accordingly and make paste with penne being one of my favorite shape amongst all. This is one yummy recipe that I tend to make again and again, week after week and never lets me down. I make this weekly once for JB and he loves to take in his Lunch box, thence the name!

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Penne in Creamy Tomato Sauce

Recipe Source: My Own
Cuisine: Fusion Food, Italian Cuisine
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:
2 cups pasta, uncooked
1 cup pasta sauce, store brought(I use Tuttoroso or Ragu brand)
1 shallot(onion), diced thinly
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp roasted red pepper homemade or store bought
2 tbsp parsley, freshly chopped
¼ cup light cream or half-n-half
½ tsp red chilli powder/karam (optional)
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
a bunch of fresh basil, chopped
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
salt as per taste
8 cups water

Method:

• Cook pasta as per the instructions on the packet.
• Take a large sauce pan, heat oil and sauté shallots and garlic. Add salt to sweat the shallots and season it with freshly ground black pepper.
• Now add pasta sauce, chilli powder, salt and let it cook for a minute. Then add freshly chopped parsley, chopped roasted peppers and cream or half-n-half to it. Let it cook for a couple of minutes.
  
• Taste for salt and pepper, add the cooked pasta, mix well. Add chopped basil and top it with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

More Pasta recipes:
Penne with Parsley Pesto and Zucchini
Orzo with lemon, feta, cranberries and methi sprouts (Pasta salad)
Spaghetti with roasted pepper medley