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Everyone needs a killer tomato cream sauce in their dinner rotation. A tomato cream sauce that is so simple that it can be made in less than 30 minutes but still pleases the masses (aka the hungry people in your casa).
I just got home from being gone for 8 days on a Caribbean cruise with my mother-in-law and 5 sister-in-laws. I am walking around my house wondering where the buffet is when I need it! 🙂 I MISS the BUFFET! I need to get going and make dinner again and I am eyeing only simple dinner recipes that I can put together in my sleep. This Lover’s Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce is the ticket! It can be made in less than 30 minutes and is so fresh and creamy. We actually ate it my very first night back to “reality.”
Lover’s Pasta is made by sauteing onion and garlic in butter and extra virgin olive oil until softened. Diced tomatoes and tomato paste are added plus chicken broth for a depth of flavor. Red pepper flakes add that perfect amount of subtle spice. The sauce is simmered until the flavors start to meld together. Heavy Cream is added at the end which adds a rich creaminess to the sauce. The tomato cream sauce is tossed with cooked pasta and topped with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
This tomato cream sauce can be tossed with your favorite kind of pasta — angel hair, penne, spaghetti or farfalle. If I am serving this pasta sauce to picky kiddos, I will usually blend it so it’s nice and creamy. Little kids are sometimes afraid of chunks so we just smooth it all out and it’s all good. Kids dig this Lover’s Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce.
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Lover's Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil or any oil
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Onion diced
- 4 Garlic Cloves finely diced
- (1) 28-ounce can Diced Tomatoes can use whole plum canned totatoes
- 1/4 cup Tomato Paste
- 1 cup Chicken Broth
- 1/2 teaspoon Red Chili Flakes
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Pepper
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1/4 cup Fresh Basil torn or cut into ribbons
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 lb. Pasta of choice thin spaghetti, angel hair, penne, bowtie, etc
Instructions
- In large skillet, heat oil and butter over medium heat. Add diced onion and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook until softened, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth. If using whole plum tomatoes, break up with back of spoon or in blender. Stir in red chili flakes, salt and pepper.
- Let simmer for 15 minutes (or longer if time allows).
- Meanwhile, boil water for pasta. Once boiling, cook according to package instructions.
- Stir in heavy cream.
- Toss with with cooked pasta. Top with parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Now it’s back to schedules, homework, and carpools. Even though it was a fabulous trip, I was homesick for my family so it’s always good to be home. Hope you LOVE this Lover’s Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce. Have a great night, my friends! xo
Happy Cooking!
Love this and have made this many times. Shocking but true: Kiddos love it too! Question: if I wanted to add chicken in, when would be a good time to do that during prep?
Thank you!
Love this and have made this many times. Kiddos love it too! Question: if I wanted to add chicken in, when would be a good time to do that during prep?
Thank you!
I didn’t have diced tomatoes or basil so I just left them out. I used the same pan I Sautéed the chicken with, and the little crusties at the bottom just added to the flavor! None of my ingredients were measured. I also added a bay leaf while it was simmering, and my husband and father-in-law were very impressed! I ate the leftovers for lunch today and it was just as good. Will make again, especially when it’s time to use up that can of tomato paste!
While I’m waiting for my curried cauliflower to simmer, (your recipe), I’m salivating over a whole lot of other recipes you’ve got here. This looks so good. Just wondering if this sauce could be frozen and reheated, or would the cream separate? Thank you!!
Best sauce ever!!! I’ve made this a couple times now and it’s absolutely excellent. It’s really wonderful over veggies, too if you’re trying to cut back on carbs. Thank you for this gem!!
Delicious! I browned some chicken breast and finished it in the sauce. We ate it over roasted zucchini strips since we are low carb. So good!
Oh my gosh, this sauce is fantastic!! I’ve long wanted to tackle a good pink sauce but have never managed until tonight. I made very few, minor tweaks; used san marzano tomatoes and pulsed them in the food processor til blended but still slightly coarse. I added a oregano and italian seasoning and omitted the chili flake because I ran out. I had mine over bucatini because that’s the only pasta I could find during this quarantine. This recipe is a keeper!!!! ❤️❤️❤️
Next level…. made with rigatoni, put it in a baking dish, topped with mozzarella, and baked at 400 for 15 minutes. It. Was. AMAZING!
This recipe was so delicious and easy to make. I’m a pregnant lady and my taste buds were doing the lambada lol very tasty ingredients I even substituted and it was great for a quick last minute meal! Thanks for sharing. My entire family loved it.
Thank you so much for taking the time to let me know, Cindy! So happy that you loved it. Have a wonderful day! – Melissa 🙂
We made this pasta dish last evening. It was so quick, so beautiful and so flavorful! Definitely something we will make many more times. Thank you for another delicious recipe!
Amazing