Quick and Easy Penne

When time is of the essence and your pantry is lacking in ingredients, Quick and Easy Penne comes to the rescue, providing a delicious and convenient alternative to traditional pasta sauces. This recipe is perfect for those moments when you need a satisfying meal in a hurry.

With just a few pantry staples, you can create a delightful sauce that will impress your taste buds. Tomato soup, such as Campbell’s Cream of Tomato, takes center stage, lending a creamy and rich texture to the dish. Dried herbs and garlic, whether fresh or powdered, infuse the sauce with aromatic flavors, while a touch of wine adds depth and complexity.

Cheese lovers will appreciate the subtle addition of blue cheese, which contributes to the overall flavor profile without overpowering the dish. However, feel free to experiment with other types of cheese that you have on hand. The beauty of this recipe lies in its versatility and adaptability to your personal taste preferences.

Preparing this Penne dish is a breeze, requiring only 10 minutes of your time. It can be enjoyed warm or cold, making it a convenient option for quick lunches, picnics, or leftover meals. If you find yourself with leftovers, simply refrigerate them for later enjoyment.

So, when you find yourself in need of a flavorful and effortless pasta dish, turn to Quick and Easy Penne. With its simple ingredients and speedy preparation, it will become a go-to recipe in your repertoire, ensuring a satisfying meal in no time.

Quick and Easy Penne

Author: Dino B Cooking Method: Boiling, Sautée Cuisine: Italian Cuisine

Difficulty: Easy Cook Time 10 mins Total Time 10 mins

Servings: 4

Description

If you ever find yourself in a rush and not with all the ingredients or time to make red sauce from scratch this is a really fast substitute that tastes great. Most pantries have soup for this penne sauce I substitute it with tomato soup, in fact, Campbell's Cream of Tomato, which makes it very creamy but you can use any tomato soup.

All you need is some dried herbs, the soup, some garlic fresh or powder, and hopefully some cheese, the best is blue cheese, you won't really taste it but it adds to the flavor. And what household does not have wine? A cup of wine in the pasta sauce does wonders. This is really fast you can prepare it in 10 minutes and if you make a large batch of pasta then you can keep it in the refrigerator, as you can enjoy this penne both warm or cold. So here is a simple and fast recipe for Penne with tomato sauce.

Keep in mind the serving is really based on the amount of Pasta. Usually, one can of soup is fine for an average-sized pasta package, you can multiply it if you need to make more. I usually add more tomato paste (I like to keep the ones in a tube) as I really like that strong tomato taste and color and the cream of tomato soup is more orange than red, but I leave that to individual tastes. The nice thing is the pasta has enough flavor that you don't even need to add more cheese before eating but if you prefer to add some shredded parmesan by all means sprinkle on top before eating.

Ingredients

Servings

• 1 pack of penne pasta (you can use any pasta)
• 1 can of tomato soup (I used Campbell Cream of Tomato)
• 1 tbsp dried basil (You can use fresh if you have it. Chop it fine.)
• 1 pinch of garlic powder or to taste
• 1 tbsp blue cheese
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 dash ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp tomato paste (I usually keep those tomato pastes in tubes in the refrigerator as they are easy to use for smaller quantities.)

Instructions

1. In a pot boil hot water and after it starts boiling add some salt and stir, then add a package of penne pasta and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes or as instructed on the package note some fresh pasta requires very little cooking time. After it is done cooking drain the water and add a tablespoon of olive oil and mix.
2. In another pot open a can of tomato soup and add some hot water to the can and rinse any remainder. As it is heating up stir it and add the following: a tablespoon of dried basil or if you have fresh ones roll up the leaves and slice them, add black pepper, garlic, and two tablespoons of tomato paste (optional), I like the intense flavor and color of tomatoes, add a cup of white wine and if you don't have white wine don't worry red will do! Mix and let it start bubbling. Then toward the end add a tablespoon of blue cheese and continue stirring until it melts.
   
3. Now you are ready to add the sauce to the pasta just pour it on top of the pasta with the heat on and mix it well until the pasta is fully covered and mixed.
   
4. It is ready! You can enjoy it warm or keep it in the refrigerator as it tastes as good when it is cold as a snack!