Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce – Great Weeknight Dinner Option

Sometimes, a little bit of fat can go a long way.  Such is the philosophy that has been guiding my inclusion of butter/ghee in the newer Indian dishes I have been making as well as heavy cream or sour cream in other recipes.  As someone who grew up in a vegetable oil household, the additions of these richer fats has opened up a whole new way of cooking and experiencing food at home.

I have been expanding my use of these richer fats to pasta sauces, with a recent first attempt at a Tomato Cream Sauce to break up my otherwise plain tomato sauce rituals.  I didn't have a purposeful recipe in mind when I was inspired to make this new dish, but did learn from the approaches used by Cook's Illustrated and the Pioneer Woman (I know, odd to include both of those sources in the same sentence!).  

The result was a creamy and sweet sauce – one that I will probably make slightly less sweet in the future through adding more chili flakes and more uniform by pureeing the sauce completely.  But otherwise, this was a super-fast (faster than NY delivery) recipe for a hearty weeknight meal.  Definitely a recipe repeat.

Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• 14 – 15 oz. can of cherry tomatoes (any tomatoes will do)
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• salt
• pepper
• Approx. 3 servings of cooked pasta

Directions:

• Heat butter and oil in a medium saucepan on medium heat

• When hot, add the onion and sauce for 10 minutes or until translucent and slightly brown
• Add the garlic, red pepper flakes and approx. 1/4 tsp. of salt, and saute for one minute or until fragrant
• Then add the tomatoes and cook for approx. 25 minutes or until the tomatoes have mostly broken down and are fully warmed through.  Stir periodically and use spoon to further break down the tomatoes.  (If your pasta has not been cooked yet, this is the perfect time to boil it)

• Finish the dish by adding the heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste.  

• Bring to a light boil, and then remove from heat.  You can puree the tomato sauce now if you prefer or just serve when your pasta and appetite are ready!