Penne al Mascarpone

There is nothing much that cannot be improved by the addition of cheese, in this case mascarpone. I love its rich and creamy texture, and have unashamedly used a shed load in this recipe. It's well worth the calorific content, I assure you.

Ingredients

olive oil
1 red onion
1-2 chillies
1 clove of garlic (small)
1 tin plum tomatoes
1 tub mascarpone 250g
Parmesan
penne
basil

Serves 2 (generously)

                                      Soften the chopped onion in olive oil with some salt

                                         Add 1-2 chillies...

and one small clove of grated garlic

  

Next add 1 tin of plum tomatoes, then fill the empty can about 1/4 full with hot water and add to the sauce. Season. Bring to the boil then simmer for 10-15 mins on a low heat to reduce. Then taste and add a little sugar if the tomato flavour is too acidic.

 Once reduced, stir in the mascarpone and a small handful of grated Parmesan until combined. Blitz till smooth(ish) with a hand blender.  Mascarpone can be quite bland and it's really important to taste and adjust the seasoning at this point. 

 Add cooked penne to the sauce (when the pasta is still a little undercooked).

To serve: Grated Parmesan, black pepper, and some torn basil leaves.