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!