Happy Tuesday. So, I know my food photography isn't normally anything to write home about, but I do apologize for the quality of these images. When I cook for What's for Dinner, I'm cooking for our dinner, so there's a certain rush to get things in front of people's face (my own included. My own the most ravenous). So when I realized that the yellow bowls and poor lighting were doing nothing for this feast, I really didn't have time to do anything about it. And then we ate it all, so I'm stuck with these photos.

So here's the deal with pasta with tomato cream sauce. It's decadent - this version especially - but I feel like it's warranted on certain dark, cold occasions in winter, when your childhood meals, which really did double down on white carbs by combining spaghetti and (often frozen - and delicious) garlic bread, have the power to make you feel cozy. Guess they don't call it comfort food for nothing.

This recipe is from Pioneer Woman, and it's very simple. I really like simple Italian cooking, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. Basically, you simmer diced onions and garlic with tomato sauce until it darkens and thickens, season with salt, pepper and sugar, and combine with a full cup of heavy cream. She says you can use marinara in place of plain tomato sauce, but urges simplicity, so that's the route we took. Then you toss the whole thing with pasta and grated parmesan (or equivalent) cheese.

She also suggests reserving a cup or pasta cooking water to thin the sauce if necessary. I forgot, and it was necessary - our sauce ended up a bit too thick. But overall, it was yummy - if a teeny bit bland. I used crushed tomatoes instead of sauce, the texture of which I appreciated, but next time we'll use marinara. I should note that adding some form of meat would probably round the whole thing out nicely, but we didn't do that, which might be why we thought it was a teeny bit lacking.

But wait, there's more!

Baked Penne with Tomato Cream Sauce, Broccoli and Grape Tomatoes

The recipe made a lot of sauce, so we used the leftovers last night in a baked penne dish. I added back in a quarter cup of pasta water from the penne, about one third ratio jarred marinara, tossed with hot pasta, threw in some grape tomatoes and broccoli, and topped the whole thing with mozzerella and parmesan before baking at 350 for 25 minutes and then 400 for 5 minutes.

And that was super delicious. As pasta covered with melted cheese is wont to be. So here's the recipe for Pioneer Woman's sauce, which I will most certainly make again, but with marinara, not plain tomatoes, and possibly a tad less cream.

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

Recipe from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
28 oz (3 1/2 cups) tomato sauce, crushed tomatoes or marinara
salt & pepper to taste
sugar, to taste
1 cup heavy cream
about 1/2 cup parmesan, or more, to taste and for passing
several tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 - 1 1/2 pounds pasta

Directions

1. Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

3. Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Thin with pasta water if needed. Stir in pasta and chopped basil and serve immediately.

Finally, if you're looking for a good way to make garlic bread, allow me:

Split a loaf of hearty bread (your choice) lengthwise, and rub each length with a clove of peeled garlic. Place your garlic in a bowl with two tablespoons butter and microwave for 30 seconds or until melted. Stir in two tablespoons olive oil and brush mixture on bread halves. Season with a couple grinds of black pepper and a pinch or two of salt. Top with shredded mozzerella cheese and bake at 400 degrees until cheese is bubbly and browning. Top with finely minced fresh parsley.

Yum.

If you guys make anything here, share your success or failures. I figure if we crowd source the Pinterest inspiration, we'll end up with some dinner staples before we know it. Thanks for reading and I'll see you tomorrow!