Wow! It’s been a while since I’ve posted anything new on here! I barely remember what I’m doing. It’s always been of interest to me to start a food blog and for the brief period that I was doing it, I loved it! However, I had to stop when my youngest child became mobile! He started knocking down my set up when I was trying to take photos, he got upset when I turned my attention away from him so I could cook, he was walking around everywhere and getting into everything! 🙂 Now that he’s a little older (he’s 2) and independent, here I am again! Feels great to restart this project of mine. Now for the wonderful penne rosa recipe…
This penne rosa recipe is something that I’ve enjoyed eating for years now, I just haven’t made it at home until recently. I used to eat this dish at Noodles & Company a couple of times a week when I worked down the street from one. It’s somewhat healthy, filling, and super tasty.
This recipe tastes even good if not better than the one I used to eat there. So, let’s get to it!
What’s Inside?
- Heavy Cream– The heavy cream gives this dish a thick, rich, and creamy texture and balances the acidity of the tomatoes.
- Parmesan Cheese– Gives the dish added thickness
- Fire Roasted Tomatoes– This is my secret ingredient. Regular diced tomatoes just doesn’t cut it. Trust me.
- Tomato Paste– Added tomato paste deepens the flavor.
- Onions
- Garlic
- Avocado Oil
- Parsley
- Spinach
- Sugar
- Cayenne Pepper
- Crushed Red Pepper
How to Make Penne Rosa Recipe
I accidentally forgot to take pictures of my process since it’s been a while since I’ve posted…
- Step 1– I like to start by making a box of pasta. That way I can immediately mix it with the sauce when it’s finished. Start by making 1 box of Penne pasta (or any other type you prefer) per box instructions.
- Step 2– After the pasta has finished, start on the sauce. To begin, sauté 1/2 of a medium sized onion until cooked (about 5 minutes) in a 12 inch skillet.
- Step 3– Sauté garlic in skillet with onion for an additional 1 minute.
- Step 4– Put tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, and spices in the skillet and cook for roughly 2 minutes.
- Step 5– Stir in the heavy cream and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, until sauce begins to thicken.
- Step 6-Mix in the parmesan cheese, stir until melted.
- Step 7-Put in the spinach and parsley, cook until spinach is completely wilted.
- Step 8– Stir sauce into pasta in large pot.
Equipment Needed
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PrintCreamy Penne Rosa Recipe
One of my favorite dishes EVER, copycat of Noodles & Company’s dish
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: pasta
- Method: boil and sautee
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Avocado Oil
- 1/2 Yellow Onion
- 3 Cloves Garlic
- 2 cups Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 pinch Cane Sugar
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1 pinch Cayenne Pepper
- 1 tsp Crushed Red Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 handful Spinach
- 2 tbsp Parsley
- 1 box Penne Pasta or any other pasta of choice
Instructions
- Cook the whole box of Penne Pasta according to package instructions.
- In a 12 inch skillet, saute the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add in the garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
- Stir in the salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Add the Fire Roasted Tomatoes to the skillet.
- Add the Tomato Paste.
- Cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the heavy cream and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until sauce has thickened some.
- Add in the parmesan cheese and stir until it has melted.
- Add in the spinach and parsley and cook until it spinach has wilted has wilted.
- Stir the sauce into the pasta.
- Enjoy!