Creamy Pasta Bake with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

Name: Creamy Pasta Bake with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Cuisine: European, Italian, Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 onion, finely chopped; 3 cloves garlic, minced; 3 (6 ounce) cans tomato sauce; 2 tablespoons tomato paste; ¾ cup heavy whipping cream; ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 pinch white sugar; salt and freshly ground black pepper; 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved; 1 ¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese; 1 small bunch fresh basil, finely chopped

9 steps

Prep:20minCook:45min

Updated at: Mon, 13 May 2024 16:36:21 GMT

Nutrition balance score

Good

Glycemic Index

Low

Glycemic Load

High

Nutrition per serving

Calories556.1 kcal (28%)

Total Fat22.1 g (32%)

Carbs69.1 g (27%)

Sugars9.4 g (10%)

Protein21.5 g (43%)

Sodium765.6 mg (38%)

Fiber5.4 g (19%)

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

Ingredients

6 servings

1 x 16 ouncepenne pasta

1 tablespoonolive oil

3 x 6 ouncetomato sauce

cans

2 tablespoonstomato paste

¾ cupheavy whipping cream

½ cupgrated parmesan cheese

1 pinchwhite sugar

salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 poundcherry tomatoes

halved

1 ¼ cupsshredded mozzarella cheese

1 bunchfresh basil

small, finely chopped

Instructions

Step 1

Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking dish.

Step 2

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking water.

Step 3

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion in oil until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds.

Step 4

Stir in tomato sauce and tomato paste and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes.

Step 5

Add cream and Parmesan cheese. Season with sugar, salt, and pepper.

Step 6

Stir some of the reserved pasta water into sauce and add cooked penne.

Step 7

Remove from the heat and stir in cherry tomatoes, 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, and basil. Add more pasta water if needed to reach desired consistency.

Step 8

Pour penne mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Step 9

Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.