Cheesy Tomato Basil Pasta Bake
A quick and simple pasta dish with a creamy and flavorful cheesy sun-dried tomato sauce. This is the perfect weeknight dinner dinner - it's ready in less than 30 min.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes, roughly chopped
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 cup non-dairy milk such as unsweetened almond
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 8 oz. penne pasta
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup roughly chopped fresh basil
Instructions
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In a small saucepan heat 2 tbsp sun-dried tomato oil over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until light golden brown, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Add sun dried tomatoes, and a pinch of salt. Cook for 2 min more.
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Whisk in the flour until thouroughly combined - it will look clumpy and sort of dry, that's ok. Cook flour for an additional minute to get rid of raw flour taste. Slowly whisk in milk until thoroughly combined. Cook for 4-5 min. until thickened and creamy. Take off the heat and stir in mozzarella. Continue stirring until cheese is completely melted (about another minute). Stir in salt, pepper, nutmeg, and red pepper flakes. Season more if needed.
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Cook and drain pasta according to pkg directions. Add back to the pot. Pour cheese sauce over the pasta and stir to combine. Add pasta to an 8x8" baking dish. Sprinkle over more mozzarella. Broil on high for 3-4 min. until cheese is melted and top is slightly crispy.
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Serve pasta with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes, more fresh basil, and freshly ground black pepper.