Creamy Tuscan Pasta Sauce

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter

4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press (about a tablespoon)

1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil

8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into 8 pieces

1 (8-ounce) jar sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed, drained and chopped

2 cups milk (preferably not skim)

1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving, if desired

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Directions

In a medium pot or skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, taking care not to let the garlic burn.

Stir in the dried basil. Add the cream cheese, stirring constantly with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. It will look curdled at first, but with constant whisking for 2-3 minutes, it should come together to form a smooth, creamy paste. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes.

Over medium heat, add the milk gradually, about 1/4 cup at a time, whisking quickly and constantly until each addition is incorporated fully into the sauce.

Stir in the Parmesan cheese, pepper and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is the desired consistency, 5-10 minutes. Serve over hot, cooked noodles.

Notes

Bonnie added 1 cup chopped cooked chicken and cooked 12 oz gf bow-tie pasta, adding a bit more salt, less pepper and mixing together sauce and pasta at the end. Great!

Cream Cheese + Milk:  you can use reduced fat cream cheese and lowfat milk; the sauce is creamier with full fat cream cheese and 2% or above milk.

Basil: if you have fresh basil, scrap the dried basil and add in about 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil at the end of cooking (or do a combination of dried and fresh for maximum basil flavor).

Nutrition

• Calories: 442 kcal
• Total Fat: 30 g
• Saturated Fat: 17 g
• Cholesterol: 85 mg
• Sodium: 964 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 28 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 20 g
• Protein: 21 g