Creamy Baked Pasta 

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package bow tie pasta

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 3 (6 ounce) cans tomato sauce

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

• salt and freshly ground black pepper

• 1 pinch white sugar

• 1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 1 1/4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

• 1 small bunch fresh basil, finely chopped

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook onion until soft and translucent while penne is cooking, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce and tomato paste and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add cream and Parmesan cheese and season with salt, pepper, and sugar.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking 9×13in baking dish.

4. Add some pasta cooking water to sauce and stir in cooked pasta. Remove from stove and stir in cherry tomatoes and basil, 1/2 the mozzarella cheese. Pour penne mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover with remaining mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

6. Serve with Arugula Salad and Lemon Vinaigrette and garlic bread.

VARIATION: You may add 3 Cups of chopped turkey or rotisserie chicken to sauce if desired.