Easy Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta
Did you know you could add cream cheese to your pasta sauce to give it a silky smooth texture?
I was shocked at first too, but I was hooked after trying it once! Cream cheese is now a staple in my pasta dishes.
Ingredients
Half a box of Pasta
8 oz Kite Hill Chive Cream Cheese
16 oz cherry tomatoes
1 whole shallot (quartered)
7 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp Italian seasoning
about 4 leaves of basil (+ extra to garnish)
Optional: 4 tbsp pasta water
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a baking dish, spread your cherry tomatoes, quartered shallot, garlic cloves, and basil leaves.
Next drizzle with olive oil and season generously with your salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and Italian seasoning.
Bake for about 30-35 minutes or until everything is golden brown and bubbly.
While the sauce is baking, boil, cook, and drain your pasta. (Optional, reserve a cup of pasta water—if you like thinner sauce, this will come in handy!)
Once your tomatoes are done baking, let them cool slightly, then toss them in a blender with your cream cheese, tomato paste, and sun-dried tomatoes. Blend until combined.
At this point, if you’ve reserved the pasta water and you like a thicker sauce, make sure to add it in now!
Once the sauce is ready, toss your pasta and sauce into your baking dish. Top with extra basil and enjoy!
Equipment
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