Creamy Tomato Pasta

There is nothing I did not love about this recipe. A tomato sauce made from fresh tomatoes, mixed with a creamy alfredo sauce and add in some fun shaped noodles. What's not to love?

This recipe does take a little bit of effort to get ready, but it is totally worth it in the end! As an added bonus it reheats well and is easy to cut the recipe in half if you want a smaller amount.

Creamy Tomato Pasta

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds fresh tomatoes (about 18 medium)
• 1 yellow onion, finely diced
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 4 teaspoons all purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cup fat free milk
• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 1 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
• 1 pound short cut pasta (such as cavatappi or farfalle)

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, using a knife lightly score an x into the bottom of the tomatoes.
3. Once the water reaches a boil, blanch the tomatoes in the water for about 1 minute, you will have to do this in batches.
4. Once the tomatoes are done let them cool and then peel them, discarding the skins, and roughly chop the tomatoes. Set aside.
5. Add the pasta to the same boiling water that you blanched the tomatoes in and cook according to package.
6. In a medium sauce pan over medium low heat add the olive oil.
7. Once the oil is warm add the onions and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until the onion is soft.
8. Add in the tomatoes and cook for about 15 minutes or until thickened a bit.
9. In large sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter and then whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook for 2 minutes, or until brown.
10. Slowly whisk in the milk, whipping cream, half & half, and garlic (season with salt and pepper if desired).
11. Continuously whisking, bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until thickened (may take 2 or more minutes).
12. Fish out the garlic with a slotted spoon and discard.
13. Whisk in the parmesan and remove from the heat.
14. Add in the drained pasta to the Alfredo sauce and mix.
15. Add the dried basil to the tomato sauce and mix.
16. Add in the tomato sauce to the Alfredo sauce and noodles, mixing well.

Enjoy!!!

Serves: 8
Calories: 469.3
Total Fat: 16.1g
   Saturated: 8.6g
   Polyunsaturated: 0.2g
   Monounsaturated: 1.4g
   Trans: 0g
Cholesterol: 45.8mg
Sodium: 344.9mg
Potassium: 763.4mg
Total Carbs: 58.5g
   Dietary Fiber: 5.8g
   Sugars: 12.6g
Protein: 19.5g
Vitamin A: 51.1%
Vitamin C: 62.6%
Calcium: 35.2%
Iron: 15.6%
*The nutritional information will vary slightly depending on the brands you use.
*Adapted from Kitchen Trial & Error.