Quick and Simple Pasta w/ Garlic Tomato Sauce

It's that runny nose, coughing, flu and cold season. I know first hand as I have spent the last 4 weeks being sick on and off. As you can imagine that coming home after spending the day at work trying to keep my lungs in place and cooking for 3 hours, isn't exactly on my list of priorities. So it's during this time that I seek out easy to craft, but still comforting, dishes.

This pasta dish is perfect for next day lunch or a quick dinner for a large group. Plus it's totally vegetarian friendly!

What You Need to Serve 4:

- 1 cup of pasta (I used Penne because the ridges hold more sauce).
- 3-4 large tomatoes (such as Ugly Ripe)
- 3 small shallots, diced small.
- 6 cloves of garlic, diced small.
- 1/2 cup heavy cream.
- 2 Tbs Parsley, chopped.
- 1/2 tsp of sugar.
- 2 Tbs dried basil.
- Salt and pepper to taste.

What To Do:

- Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta to al dante (about 6-8 minutes), strain and set aside.
- While the pasta is cooking, puree tomatoes and strain to get rid of seeds and skins.

- Dice shallots and garlic.

- Add oil to a skillet on low heat, allow to warm through before adding in shallots an garlic.

- Raise the heat to medium-low and slowly roast the garlic/shallot mix. Do not allow to burn or you will have to start over.

- Pour pureed tomatoes over the garlic and shallots, season with basil, salt, pepper and sugar. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

- Taste for seasoning after simmering. Adjust as needed.

- Stir in fresh parsley and heavy cream, allow to reduce for 2-3 minutes. Stir in pasta and top with any leftover parsley.