Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

I put my baby in daycare two days a week, so I'm always looking for something quick to make for dinner those nights since I want to spend as much of my evening as possible cuddling and singing to him rather than cooking dinner.  I'm not really into Rachel Ray or her "30 minute meals" that never take less than an hour - that is unless you have a 6 burner stove, double oven and professional chopping skills - none of which I possess.  So I find that I'm on my own when it comes to finding good weeknight recipes.

That's what I love about this recipe:  it's quick, it's easy, it's simple, only uses 1 canned ingredient, and it is DELICIOUS!

Ingredients:  olive oil, butter, onion, garlic, canned tomato sauce, salt, pepper and sugar to taste, heavy cream, grated parmesean cheese, basil and fettuccine

Start by chopping up the onion and mincing the garlic.

Heat the oil and the butter over medium heat.

Add the onion and garlic to the pot and saute for about a minute.

Add the tomato sauce, salt, pepper and sugar to taste (don't skimp on the salt - I always use Kosher).  Let this cook over low heat for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil and add the fettuccine.  Cook according to package directions.

When the pasta is done, drain and set aside.

When the tomato sauce is ready, remove it from the heat and stir in the cream.

Grate some parmesean cheese.

Add it to the sauce to taste.  I added about 1/4 c. for 2 people.  I also kept some out for serving later.

One of the joys of shopping at Wal-Mart is that they are frequently out of the fresh herbs I need.  If it's summer time, I just head over to my mother-in-law's house and pick some fresh basil from her incredible garden.  But unfortunately it's December in Oklahoma so I was SOL this time.  If you have fresh basil, cut it in a chiffonade (by rolling up the leaves and cutting them into thin strips) then garnish your finished dish.  If you only have the dry stuff, crush it between your palms as you sprinkle it into the pot to release some of the oils and sort of wake it up from it's deep, dry sleep.

Finally, add the fettuccine to the pot and toss it all together.  It will look rich, creamy, silky, luxurious, to die for!

Sprinkle with some parmesean cheese, serve with a salad and some bread and you've got yourself a delicious meal.  As Ina would say, "how easy is that?"

Link to the printable recipe:

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

Source:  Pioneer Woman