Creamy Tomato Penne

I love pasta alla vodka, but it does require two pots – one to boil the water, and one to mix the sauce. I was craving a good tomatoey pasta the other night, and I happened to have the idea to try a one-pot version, where the pasta cooks in the sauce (please don’t come for me, Italians.) The pasta turned out delicious, and it was so easy to make that I knew I had to put it in a recipe! It’s a great weeknight dinner, and I hope you try it too!

On another note, I finally got Lightroom! Now I can edit photos so the lighting/coloring isn’t always so weird :). So I hope you enjoy the properly-edited photos in this post.

Ingredients

This recipe is pretty low-key, and many of the ingredients are easy to substitute. Truly a pantry pasta recipe! You’ll need:

• Butter
• Garlic
• Short-cut pasta of your choice (I used penne, but you could also use anything from fusilli to gemelli.)
• Canned tomato sauce, or crushed tomatoes, or tomato puree (even diced tomatoes might work!)
• Evaporated milk, cream, or milk
• White wine
• Vegetable broth or chicken stock
• Tomato paste (optional)
• Parmesan cheese (or Pecorino-Romano, or whatever you have)

Making Creamy Tomato Pasta

You’ll start by sauteing the garlic and tomato paste, then deglaze the pan with the white wine. Add the broth and tomatoes, and bring them to a boil. Then, add in your pasta.

Let the pasta cook in the liquid until softened but not quite cooked through. Add in the milk/cream, and continue to cook until al dente. Stir in some butter and parmesan to finish, and you’re done! So easy!

Tips

• It is okay if the pasta is a bit saucy when it is fully cooked — it will thicken up as the pasta cools.
• If you find that when all the liquid has boiled away the pasta isn’t fully cooked yet, add some more stock.
• You can also add herbs and seasonings if you like!

Creamy Tomato Penne

An easy, low-key weeknight creamy tomato pasta!

Prep Time: 0 min	Cook Time: 20 min
Total Time: 20 min	Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (optional)
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 14 oz crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, or tomato puree
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or chicken stock
• 1 lb penne pasta
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk or cream
• Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. In a large pot over medium heat, melt 1 tbsp butter. Add garlic and saute until fragrant.
2. Add tomato paste and stir until slightly darkened in color, 1 minute
3. Add in white wine to deglaze the pan. Pour in tomatoes and broth. Turn up the heat to high and bring to a boil.
4. When the broth is at a boil, add in the penne pasta. Cook until beginning to soften and the liquid has begun to reduce, 6-7 minutes.
5. Add in the evaporated milk and cook until the pasta is al dente.
6. To finish, add in the second tbsp of butter and Parmesan cheese to taste.
7. Enjoy!

Notes

This recipe is vegetarian. To make it vegan, you can use a vegan pasta and vegan cream – the recipe will work the same.