Take-out Tueday, Summer Surprise Pasta
Today is HH’s birthday! Happy Birthday honey! Poor thing, he was so tired on Sunday-from playing with his new birthday present- he didn’t want to grill dinner so I whipped up this pasta bake…and I do mean whipped up, it was in the oven in 15 minutes~
I adapted this recipe from one of my favorite foodie blogs, Half Baked Harvest~
here is what intrigued me about this recipe, besides the copious amounts of gooey cheese, she used a little enchilada sauce...say what?
Hmmm, now I love enchilada sauce, and I love pesto sauce, and I love marinara sauce, so this had to be a winner for me!
I used a lot less cheese, omitted the cream, and added zucchini…you know to keep things healthy 😉
You can use any shape pasta you like, but I think long thin noodles are best in this recipe, they envelop the cheesy, cream sauce and each bite is a perfect combination of all the flavors
The secret to success here is to melt the pesto and cream cheese into the pasta before adding the enchilada and tomato sauces
You would never guess the enchilada sauce was in there…it just adds a little mystery, and makes the flavor not the expected tomato sauce, but a wonderful new flavor…
Winner Winner Pasta Dinner!
Top all this creamy lusciousness with lots of shaved Parmesan
Pop it into the oven for 15-20 minutes and let it get happy and golden
Serve it up!
You can add some Italian sausage if you like, but this meatless version was full of comfort, yet amazingly light
When you need dinner in a hurry, try this creamy tomato basil pasta~
Summer Surprise Pasta
Ingredients
- 3-4 oz thin spaghetti
- 1/4 cup pesto sauce
- 2 oz. softened cream cheese
- 2 oz. Havarti or Fontina cheese sliced and torn into pieces
- 1/4 cup enchilada sauce
- 1 cup Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce
- 1 large zucchini sliced and cut into half rounds
- 1 T olive oil
- 2 oz. shaved fresh Parmesan
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Saute zucchini in olive oil over medium high heat until browned and soft, about 5 minutes.
- Cook pasta in boiling salted water until just done. Drain well and return to hot pot.
- Turn burner down to lowest setting. Stir in pesto, then cream cheese, letting them melt evenly over pasta. Add Havarti or Fontina and stir.
- Add enchilada sauce and tomato sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Stir for a minute to coat pasta.
- Turn pasta into greased casserole dish and top with sauteed zucchini. Cover with Parmesan.
- Bake at 350 for 15 minutes until cheese is melted and golden.
to see Half Baked Harvest’s Creamy Tomato Pasta Bake click here
Enjoy!
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We haven’t had pasta in quite awhile. This looks wonderful, Jenna!
Sure sounds good! And we’re just coming into zucchini season here:@)
Nice recipe. Thank you.
Happy Birthday to HH! I’m sure you BOTH are tired after your whirlwind weekend. 🙂 The pasta dish looks amazing…and comforting…and healthy, a bonus. Y’all get some rest now, you hear?
Zucchini has become very popular at our house. Looks like another way to incorporate it into our dinners.
Madonna
MakeMineLemon
Winner winner pasta dinner indeed Jenna! Love the combination of pesto and cream cheese too and adding the Italian sausage would make my hubby very happy 🙂
I would have never thought to combine pesto with enchilada sauce . . . but hey, I’m game!
I love pasta… and if it’s so easy to prepare… nothing’s better than it 😀
-Tanya
http://tanyaanurag.blogspot.com/
Hi Jenna, this dish looks and sounds delicious! Perfect for a quick and summery meal!
Have a Happy Fourth of July! Are you at the beach to celebrate?
Thanks Emily, I do hope you try this, it is just as good leftover too, doesn’t try out like some pasta casseroles~happy 4th to you!
Hello there friend, we had pasta tonight, too. This recipe looks absolutely delightful and I will have to try it soon. Love all of your photos!
Thanks Kim!
Hi Jenna,
What a great surprise, I can’t wait to try this pasta dish, the flavor will just be awesome! Hope you have had a great weekend and thanks so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday!
Come Back Soon,
Miz Helen
This sounds fabulous! I would have been skeptical about the enchilada sauce, but I can totally see how that little bit would add just the right amount of flavor! Thanks a bunch for sharing this at my Creative Ways Link Party! Hope to see you again tonight!
Blessings,
Nici