Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Tuscan Tomato Basil Pasta


Last month my best friend and I had a girls' night out while our husbands took all the kids camping. We tried a new Italian restaurant in town, and it was fantastic! Not a chain restaurant, but a cozy little Mom and Pop place with loads of atmosphere. I got a pasta dish that I absolutely loved and was determined to recreate it at home.

I stumbled on a recipe that I thought might be similar. And after tweaking it a bit, I can say that this ridiculously easy pasta dish is almost identical to the one I had at the restaurant. And it's so much cheaper!

I'm not a huge fan of Alfredo dishes because I generally find the sauce to be too salty. The diced tomatoes really temper the saltiness. I loved the creamy tomato sauce result!

Here's what you need:

1 (15 oz or maybe 16 oz) jar of Alfredo sauce - I used Newman's Own
1 can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
2 TBSP white cooking wine
2 teas minced garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 pkg cheese ravioli

Cook the ravioli according to the package directions. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Add all of the remaining ingredients except the basil to a saucepan and combine well. Bring to a low simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Stir in the basil. Add the ravioli to the pan and stir to coat.

You can substitute bowtie or rotini pasta for the ravioli if you wish. Add slice chicken for a complete meal. Sprinkle with a little bit of Parmesan cheese, too.

No comments:

Post a Comment