Creamy Red Sauce Pasta Bake

Creamy Red Sauce Pasta Bake

Do they eat creamy red sauce in Italy?

I don't know. I've never been to Italy and I'm not Italian.

Although I have been asked many times if I am of Italian descent, unfortunately I am not. Before I got married my only experience with Italian food was sauce from a jar and spaghetti from a box. My husbands paternal Grandmother was Italian and I'm told she could make a fantastic sauce and homemade noodles. My non-Italian mother-in-law makes spaghetti using Nana's recipe and it is DELICIOUS. Since she does that so well I have experimented with other "Italian" dishes. This Creamy Red Sauce Pasta Bake recipe is my latest favorite.

Creamy Red Sauce Pasta Bake

Prep time: 10 min.   Cook time: 30 min.

1 small onion, diced

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 TBSP butter

1 TBSP olive oil

15 ounce can tomato sauce

8 ounce can tomato sauce

14.5 ounce can Italian style diced tomatoes

1/2 cup grated Parmesan

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 pound box ziti

1/2 tsp sugar

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

The butter, oil, onions and garlic

 Heat a skillet to medium heat with butter and oil. Add the onions and cook for a few minutes until soft. Add the garlic. Don't add the garlic until the onions are cooked to your liking or the garlic could burn.

Add the tomato sauce and diced tomatoes, including the liquid, to the skillet with the onion and garlic. Add the salt, pepper, and sugar to the tomatoes. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes until the sauce thickens. While the sauce is simmering, cook the ziti according to package directions.

The thickened sauce

Add the heavy whipping cream and Parmesan cheese to the sauce.

Adding the cream and Parm.

The sauce is done! If you don't want to do a bake you can add your cooked pasta at this point. But we're doing a bake so let's keep going.

Put your drained pasta in a 9x13 baking dish. Pour the sauce over the pasta and stir to coat all the pasta in the sauce. Sprinkle with some fresh basil. Top with the mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake for about 10 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.

YUM

Serves about 6

Enjoy!

Until next time!

 

Buckeye Bars

This post should be called "The Struggle to Name the Buckeye Bar"

You know the saying about too many cooks spoiling the soup? Well there were too many family members with an opinion on the name of my latest victory in the kitchen. 

I wanted to call them Love Bars. 

Why did I want to call them Love Bars? 

I'm glad you asked. 

When I had my husband taste test them he had a very serious expression on his face, then he turned to me and said, "I love you." Soooooo hence the idea for the name. 

I thought it was funny. After 25 years of marriage I would hope that he loves me for more than the graham crackery, peanut buttery, chocolatey goodness that I presented to him. 

Unfortunately, no one liked the name Love Bar.  I brainstormed and came up with a few possibilities and got a thumbs up on Buckeye Bars.

Buckeye Bar

Buckeye Bars

graham crackers, about 5, halved

1 Cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 Cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

chocolate flavored almond bark

The peanut butter, powdered sugar and vanilla.

Mix the peanut butter, powdered sugar, and vanilla. 

Microwave the almond bark according to package directions. I used about 8 squares. You can also use chocolate chips if you prefer.

Spread the peanut butter mixture on chocolate covered graham cracker.

Place the graham crackers that you have broken in half on a parchment paper lined pan. With a pastry brush, spoon, off-set spatula, or whatever you have, spread the almond bark/chocolate on one side of the graham cracker. Let the chocolate set up. You can speed the process by placing in the fridge.

Place 2 Tbsp of the peanut butter mixture in the chocolate coated graham cracker by using a scoop or a tablespoon.

Evenly spread over cracker.

At this point you may need to warm your chocolate up a bit. Place the cracker in your bowl of chocolate and spoon chocolate over the whole cracker. Use a fork to gently scoop the cracker up and tap fork on side of bowl to shake off excess chocolate. place on parchment lined pan to cool. Again you can speed the process by placing in the fridge.

I added sprinkles for a festive look.


Serves 8-10

Enjoy!

Until next time!