Penne Alla Casa
One of the best evening meals if you want something creamy and cheesy is Penne Alla Casa. This is a super simple meal that you can whip up in just 20 minutes. It’s delicious and beginner-friendly as well if you’re new to the kitchen.
Picking up the jarred marinara sauce is the best alternative, however, you’re more than free to create your sauce. I will have a section down below on how to make your sauce without marinara if you want to take your cooking skills to the next level. However, for this recipe’s purpose, here is how you can make this amazing meal for the evening.
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Difficulty Level: easy
Penne Alla Casa Ingredients
- 1 Package of Penne Pasta
- 1 Cup of Marinara Sauce, or Basil Tomato-flavored Pasta Sauce
- 2 Cups of Heavy Cream
- 1 Clove of Garlic Finely Chopped
- 1/2 Cup of Romano Cheese
- Several Chopped Sundried Tomatoes
- 1/2 lb Fresh Chopped Spinach
- Salt and Pepper to Taste
Penne Alla Cas Instructions
- Fill up a pot with water, olive oil, and salt for your noodles. Once it’s boiling, add in your penne and let it boil.
- In a frying pan or large saucepan, add a bit of olive oil and sautée the garlic until it’s golden and fragrant.
- Once the garlic is fragrant, add in your cream and sundried tomatoes and let simmer for about 3 to 4 minutes. Let that go until the cream reduces slightly.
- Add the marinara sauce and stir until the sauce blends into a nice creamy, pink color.
- Once the marinara and cream are combined, add in your spinach.
- Once the spinach has wilted a bit, add the romano cheese and seasoning until it’s the taste you’re looking for.
- Strain your noodles besides a bit of the pasta water. Add the water into your sauce, as well as the noodles, and mix it all together until all the noodles are covered. Serve with another sprinkle of romano.
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Make It More Filling
I love pasta. I make it roughly four times a week if I can. The only reason I’ve gotten away with it is because I mix it up a lot. Not only do the different noodles provide new textures, but between the various sauces and proteins, you can create unique dishes, so even if you have pasta every night, you’re not bored.
My husband needs protein with every meal or else he won’t get his fill. So what can you do with Penne Alla Casa to make sure your family is full at the end? Protein!
The best options for this dish, since it’s tomato-based, creamy, and cheesy, include meatballs, whether that’s homemade or storebought, or some delicious pan-seared chicken. I love getting some Angus frozen meatballs and getting them in the oven when I start my sauce, as they’re ready by the time the sauce is made.
If you want to do chicken, you can sear it in your pan before putting in your garlic. This not only gives the sauce some of that flavor from the chicken but is a delicious combination of protein and sauce.
Make A Sauce
Now that we have a filling dinner, let’s figure out how to make a sauce. I hate buying marinara, especially with the price of groceries these days. Grabbing two to three jars of marinara for $4 a piece for a decent brand is way too much. But grabbing some tomato paste and diced tomatoes with a dish that already requires cream is a better option.
Thankfully for this dinner, that already asks for cream, you can make a decent sauce in a matter of minutes. To do this, you’ll want to sautee your garlic like usual, but before you add your cream, you’ll want to put in about 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and a can of diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes.
Let that simmer and cook for a while. You can also do this without the tomato paste, as it just makes it thick, however, I prefer it. Once it’s simmered pretty well, you can add in your heavy cream.
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