Penne Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

A very yummy recipe that I just tried tonight....it originally came from the Cook Yourself Thin show I guess. My neighbor tried it and passed it on to me.

Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil, plus extra
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cp chopped red onion
3/4 tsp salt
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes
Pinch red pepper
8 oz penne
1/4 cp heavy cream
2.5 oz evaporated nonfat milk
1/3 cp grated Parmesan
1/4 cp shredded fresh basil
1/8 tsp black pepper

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for the penne.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the 2 tsp oil with the garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to brown, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the onion and 1/4 tsp salt, cover, and cook until the onion is softened, about 2 more minutes.
4. Add the tomato, 1/2 tsp salt, and the red pepper.
5. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat, and simmer very gently for 10 minutes.
6. After the sauce has simmered for 5 minutes, add the penne to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes.
7. After the sauce has simmered for 10 minutes, stir in the cream and evaporated milk and simmer 1 more minute.
8. Drain the penne, reserving about 1/2 cp pasta water.
9. Add the drained penne to the sauce and simmer until the penne is al dente, about 1-2 more minutes. Add a little of the pasta cooking water if the mixture is dry.
10. Stir in 1/4 cp of the Parmesan, along with the basil and black pepper.
11. Sprinkle additional olive oil and Parmesan over the food if desired. Serve.

This yields 4 servings.

When we made the dish, we just used minced garlic instead of whole cloves, since that is what we had on hand. For the same reason, we substituted shredded Colby-Monterey Jack cheese for the Parmesan. It turned out really good!