Creamy Tomato Pasta

I've never been interested in even trying the Atkins diet.  No pasta and bread?  Forget it.  Besides, your brain needs carbs to properly function.  Really!  So load up on this delicious creamy, tomatoey, cheesy pasta and feed your brain!

INGREDIENTS

for the tomato sauce -
1 1/2 pounds fresh tomatoes (about 9 medium) (or a 15-oz can of tomatoes, for those of us who live in Upstate NY and don't have access to fresh tomatoes at this time of year!)
1 small onion, finely diced
3 garlic cloves minced
1/4 cup minced fresh basil
olive oil

for the alfredo sauce -
1 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons flour
3/4 cup whole milk (or skim, if you're me and don't feel like buying whole milk for one recipe letting the rest go to waste)
1/4 cup half & half
2 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

12 oz bowtie or other small pasta

DIRECTIONS

Start the pasta water boiling and throw the pasta in to cook when it's ready.  In the meantime...

Start on the tomato sauce.  If you're using fresh tomatoes you're going to have to boil them in a large pot of water to get the skins off.  If you're lazy using the tomatoes you canned last fall/bought from the store, you're ready to go.  Chop them up a bit.

In a saucepan sweat the onion and garlic in a TBS of olive oil until soft (about 5 minutes).  Add the tomatoes, cook for about 15 minutes until thickened.

While that's going on (and by this time your pasta is probably cooking too), add to the confusion by putting a third pot on the stove to start the alfredo sauce.  Melt the butter in the pan over medium heat.  Whisk in the flour until smooth, and let it cook until brown.  Add in the milk, half & half, and garlic if you choose (I added enough to the tomato sauce so I skipped it here.  Plus, you're going to have to fish it out again so what's the point?)

Cook the alfredo sauce for about 2 minutes until thickened.  Fish the garlic back out again if you put it in to begin with.

The sauce will be super thick, so add 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of pasta water to the pot to thin it out.  Add in the parmesan cheese and mix well.  Remove from heat.

At this point hopefully your pasta is done and the tomato sauce is as well.  Toss in fresh basil into the tomato sauce and then blend in the alfredo.  Throw all of that over the pasta. 

VERDICT

Would this recipe be easier with a can of tomato sauce and a can of alfredo sauce?  Probably.

But it is delicious and completely home made if you make the alfredo yourself.  And speaking of that alfredo... who knew it was that easy to make alfredo sauce?