TOMATO PESTO CREAM SAUCE PENNE

A super easy pasta dish with a delicious creamy sauce full of the aromatic Italian flavor of tomato, basil, pine nuts and spices!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups dry penne pasta

• 4 tablespoons tomato pesto

• 1/2 cup heavy cream

• 100 grams of cream cheese

• 1/2 cup of sliced mushrooms

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Fresh parsley, to top

PREPARATION

1. In a pot, add dry pasta, drizzle with a little olive oil and a dash of salt, then add water and bring to boil, cooking the pasta to your preferred level of doneness.

2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and cook the mushrooms until lightly browned.

3. Add the tomato pesto and heavy cream until well combined, then stir in cream cheese until completely melted.

4. Lower the heat allowing the mixture to simmer for about 10 minutes or until sauce has thickened, and season it with salt and pepper. If the sauce becomes too thick, use some of the pasta water to thin it out.

5. Add pasta into the sauce, stirring until it is well-coated.

6. Serve hot, and garnish with fresh parsley or basil.

Notes:
When draining the pasta, do not immediately get rid of the water as you can use some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce if it becomes too thick.

You can opt to leave out the mushrooms if you wish.

If you do not have tomato pesto, an alternative is to add one tablespoon of tomato paste to 3 tablespoons of regular pesto, and you will achieve the same result.

You may use mascarpone cheese as an alternative for this recipe.