Fire Roasted Tomato Cream Pasta

Imagine eating a rich, velvety sauce, coating al dente whole wheat pasta, your tongue savoring every bite, wishing you could eat this everyday without looking like you ate something as naughty as Fire Roasted Tomato Cream Pasta everyday...man, that's the dream, isn't it? The Fire Roasted Tomatoes lend a smoky sweetness to this sauce that is perfectly complemented by the robust flavor of Parmesan and ricotta. That sounds straight out of Cook's Illustrated, doesn't it?

Apologies for the lack of posts over the past week and a half. I sort of went into a bit of a tailspin and needed a break, but I am back and onto new and more delicious things!

I have been fighting this internal battle over healthy eating and body image lately. I have a lot of thoughts that I will share over the next few weeks in snippets here and there, but my thought for today is this: As long as I try to define who I am and my self-worth by the way I look, I will never truly know and understand my intrinsic value and nature. That doesn't mean I ignore my health or appearance, but that I realize that the only way I can define myself and my worth is by learning to love myself the way my Father in Heaven loves me. So that's where I am focusing now, and in the meantime, on some days, when I feel like indulging, I will eat this heavenly pasta.

This dish is a snap to make, and is sure to please all who grace your dinner table. It would be amazing with fresh pasta (I was not feeling the labor required for fresh pasta the day I made this), but works well with boxed pasta, and I loved it with the nutty and full flavor of whole wheat. 

Start with some tomatoes. It is essential that you use fire-roasted tomatoes for the flavor of this sauce to be spot on. I would 150% recommend that you use Muir Glen tomatoes. They are unparalleled in flavor and are free of preservatives and salt. I used two 15 ounce cans of diced Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes and one large can (28 ounces) of crushed tomatoes. Crack those babies open and put them in a large saucepan. Add two cloves of fresh minced garlic, a teaspoon of Italian seasoning (or dried basil, or even fresh basil, if you have it), one teaspoon of sugar (or honey or agave), one teaspoon of salt, and 2-3 turns of freshly ground black pepper. Heat to a simmer over medium heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Next, your cheeses. Add 1/4 cup of freshly grated Parmesan to the tomato. Stir to combine.

Next add 1/4 cup of high-quality ricotta cheese. Stir to combine.

Your sauce will lighten in color and become orangey. That's exactly what you want.

Now, add a 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream (I know, totally naughty) to the sauce. Stir to combine.

Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low-medium, stirring often. Cook at a simmer for about 15 minutes until the sauce reduces and thickens. After fifteen minutes, you have the option of adding a chicken breast or two, whole, to the sauce. If you choose to, you will just poach the chicken in the sauce, allowing it to absorb the flavor of the sauce and become tender. If you add the chicken, cook over low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until cooked through. Stir often so the creamy base of the sauce doesn't scorch.

If you choose to include the chicken, turn off the heat, remove the chicken when it is cooked through, and slice it up.

You'll want to cook some pasta (I used whole wheat) while your sauce is cooking. Before you drain your pasta, reserve about 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water. Drain the pasta, add the reserved water to the pan, and add the pasta back to the pan, stirring to coat the pasta with the water. Using the cooking water allows the sauce to absorb into the pasta more easily. Add 1 cup of the finished tomato cream sauce to the pasta, stirring to coat the pasta well. This ensures that the pasta is truly flavorful and that it doesn't dry out.

Serve the pasta in a large bowl, topping your portion with a generous helping of sauce and some freshly grated Parmesan. Savor every bite!

Fire Roasted Tomato Cream Pasta

Ingredients

-2 (15 ounce) cans of Muir Glen Fire Roasted tomatoes

-1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes

-2 cloves of fresh minced garlic

-1 teaspoon of sugar (or honey or agave)

-1 teaspoon salt

-3-4 turns of freshly ground black pepper

-1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning (or dried or fresh basil)

-1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus some for garnish

-1/4 cup ricotta cheese

-1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

-1 or 2 chicken breasts (optional)

-One box cooked whole wheat pasta, combined with 1/2 cup reserved pasta cooking water

1. Combine Fire Roasted tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, garlic, sugar, salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning in a large saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

2. Add Parmesan and ricotta and stir to combine. Add heavy whipping cream. Stir to combine. Sauce will be orange in color. Bring to a simmer, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 10-15 minutes, covered, until sauce reduces, stirring often to ensure the cream doesn't scorch.

3. Add uncooked chicken breasts to the sauce. Poach the chicken in the sauce, stirring often, for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Remove chicken and slice.

4. Cook 1 box of whole wheat pasta. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Drain pasta, return to pot. Add reserved cooking water. Mix well. Add 1 cup of cooked sauce to the pasta. Toss to coat evenly.

5. Serve pasta in a large bowl, dressed with generous amounts of sauce and sliced chicken. Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan. Savor every bite.