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Fork with bowtie pasta and creamy sun-dried tomato pasta sauce.

Creamy Tuscan Pasta Sauce

Yield: 6 Servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed through a garlic press (about a tablespoon)
  • 1 ½ 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 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving, if desired
  • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Fresh basil and grated Parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions 

  • 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

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).
Thicker Sauce: if you want the sauce slightly thicker, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour to the melted butter and whisk vigorously to prevent lumps.