Penne With Basil Cream Sauce

Last weekend, we were baby sitting one of our friend's little daughter who likes princesses, creamy pastas, and all things pink and sweet! So, I made pasta with pesto/ground basil in bechamel sauce.  I was warned that she would pick out every bit of vegetable on her plate, and true to that, she picked out all the grape tomatoes I added, but finished the pasta. Good thing I refrained from adding broccoli and asparagus... the presence of such veggies would have upset her appetite ;). It's a whole new creative process to incorporate veggies while cooking for kids!

There was also a pinkish strawberry cake (post coming up) and we had a good time eating comforting pasta, cake, and watching Little Mermaid and Turbo. I was so happy to have a little girl at home enjoying Little Mermaid as much as I do!

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 2 shallots, sliced
2. 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
3. 1.5 cups sliced grape tomatoes
4. 3 tablespoons butter
5. 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
6. 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
7. 2 cups warm milk (low fat or 2% is fine)
8. salt as needed
9. 1/2 teaspoon pepper
10. 12 ounces / 340 grams tri-colored penne
11. 1 tablespoon olive oil + a drizzle
12. 1/3 cup basil pesto* /1 cup basil leaves ground with a drizzle of olive oil

Preparation:

1. Melt butter in a saucepan. Add Italian seasoning and shallots and fry on medium heat until shallots soften (about 5 minutes). Add garlic and fry for a minute. 
2. Add flour and whisk/stir it well in the butter. Let the flour cook slightly - about a couple of minutes. 
3. Slowly add the warm milk and whisk continuously until well incorporated. Cook on low-medium heat for about 10-15 minutes, stirring every now and then until the sauce thickens and bubbles.
4. Add ground basil or pesto to the bechamel sauce and stir well. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat. 
5. Meanwhile, bring a big pot of water to a rolling boil. Add lots of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the pasta on high heat according to the instructions on the package (about 12 minutes usually). When cooked, drain the pasta and wash with cold water to stop the cooking. 
6. Put the pasta back in the pot and add as much sauce as you would like and mix. 

Serve with sliced grape tomatoes.

Pasta with extra sauce

Note: There might be some left over sauce. But the pasta quickly absorbs the sauce, so you will find yourself adding more sauce during the course of the meal.

*To prepare Basil Pesto (make sure you have a food processor or a sturdy blender than can cut/break down ingredients like basil and garlic): Add 2 cups of packed basil leaves, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tablespoon toasted pine nuts/walnuts/pistachios (or a mix of nuts), a sprinkling of lemon zest, the juice of half a lemon, and 1 tablespoon parmesan/pecorino romano cheese to a food processor/blender and pulse until the ingredients are finely broken down. Drizzle 2 tablespoons - 1/4 cup of olive oil and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.