140.0…Caprese Pasta

February 28, 2013

140.0…Caprese Pasta

Caprese salad is one of my favorite things to order in an Italian restaurant. I love the flavors of the tomatoes, basil and mozzarella cheese together. When I saw this recipe for Caprese Pasta, I knew I had to make it.

It was easy to throw together and the flavors were great together. The only change I would make would be to possibly double the sauce and add more spices.

Caprese Pasta

Adapted from Juanita’s Cocina

Ingredients:

1 lb. penne
1 cup spaghetti sauce
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan
1 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
8 oz. cubed mozzarella (I used mozzarella pearls)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
1 bunch fresh basil leaves, chopped thinly

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions and preheat oven to 350.
While pasta is cooking, heat tomato sauce in a small saucepan. When the sauce is warm, stir in the cream, parmesan, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes and pepper. Allow the sauce to simmer for a few minutes or until the parmesan is nicely melted and the sauce is smooth.
Halve the grape tomatoes, cube the mozzarella, and slice the basil into thin strips.
Once pasta is cooked, drain and add it back to the pot you boiled it in. Add the cream sauce to the pasta and mix well. Add the grape tomatoes, the mozzarella, and the basil to the pasta mix and stir until well-combined.
Pour pasta into a 13x9 baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until dish is warmed through and cheese is melted.

Printable Recipe

My husband’s friend is staying with us and he enjoyed the dish. It definitely looks nice when it comes out of the oven! I served the pasta with a Caesar salad.

For dessert, I made my favorite Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Fun with Histogram. :)

Breakfast this morning looks just like all my other yogurt parfaits but this time the yogurt was pineapple Chobani. I still used my favorite granola: Coconut-Sour Cherry Granola.

After I took the kids to school, I hit the gym for an hour. Afterwards I ran some errands and stopped at Wahoo’s for lunch. It’s been awhile since I’ve had my favorite fish tacos!