Creamy One-Pot Pasta

The other day while hanging out with my friend Sara we had some leftovers of this yummy pasta she made. Its seriously awesome and so easy.

* This can be made vegetarian by substituting veg broth for chicken broth.

4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1 jar (7 oz) sun-dried tomatoes in oil, undrained
3 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth (5¼ cups)
1 lb uncooked penne pasta
1 head broccoli (2 cups small florets)
2 medium carrots, peeled
4 oz reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel)
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Grated fresh Parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil (optional)

Thinly slice garlic. Place garlic and 1 tbsp oil from sun-dried tomatoes into
(8-qt.) Stockpot. Cook garlic over medium heat 2-3 minutes or until garlic is golden brown, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat; add broth. Return to burner; increase heat to high. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir in pasta; cover and simmer vigorously 8-10 minutes or until pasta is almost cooked but still firm, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cut broccoli into small florets; place into bowl. Cut carrots in half lengthwise; thinly
slice crosswise on a bias. Drain sun-dried tomatoes; pat dry with a paper towel.

Slice sun dried tomatoes into thin strips. Add carrots and tomatoes to batter bowl. Mix well.

Cut cream cheese into cubes. Add vegetables, cream cheese, salt and black pepper to Stockpot. Stir until cream cheese is melted and fully incorporated. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook an additional 2-4 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Serve immediately. If desired, top with grated fresh Parmesan cheese and snipped fresh basil.
Makes: 6 servings

{Review}

This was a great dish and incredibly easy.

Note: After penne was done but prior to adding veggies & cream cheese I removed about 3/4 cup of the broth from pot. I was worried it would water down the sauce to much. Once cheese melted in pot it was a good consistency. If you want to thin it out just add some of the broth back in. Once the pasta cooled down it became pretty thick. I added the reserve broth back in prior to putting it in the fridge as leftovers. It stayed nice and creamy for the next day.

{Serve with}

Garlic bread

{Time}

30min or less