CREAMY PASTA BAKE WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND BASIL

Creamy Pasta Bake with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil image

One of my favorite midweek pasta bakes - my whole family loves it and there is not much prep. Once the pasta bake is in the oven, you can make a salad or set the table and then it's time to eat.

Provided by Julian

Time 51m

Yield 6

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) package penne pasta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 (6 ounce) cans tomato sauce
2 tablespoons tomato paste
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch white sugar
1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved
1 ¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 small bunch fresh basil, finely chopped

Steps:

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.
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.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking dish.
Stir some pasta cooking water into the sauce and add cooked penne. Remove from heat and stir in cherry tomatoes, 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, and basil. Pour penne mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover with remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 531.6 calories, Carbohydrate 67.8 g, Cholesterol 61.7 mg, Fat 21.2 g, Fiber 5.3 g, Protein 21.4 g, SaturatedFat 11.1 g, Sodium 779.8 mg, Sugar 7.8 g