I’ve been inspired by my pal Debbie over at The Mountain Kitchen to try this whole Meatless Monday thang. While the name of this blog and my life are heavily influenced by meat – the barbecues, the meatloafs, the tacos, the steak-ums and more – I really love all food and thought this could be a fun challenge to try some new recipes and ingredients.

I’m starting with this super simple sun-dried tomato cream sauce that I really dig. It’s so fast to make and you can easily change the ingredients up to whatever you’re craving or what’s in season (basil, fresh tomatoes, crushed red pepper, ooh I bet tossing in some fresh ricotta would be good – you get the picture)! For the recipe below I used the crazy shaped (and delicious) pasta my mom gave me, but penne would work fab too!

Ingredients
1 tbs olive oil
4 finely chopped garlic cloves
1/2 cup chopped drained oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes*
1 1/4 cup whipping cream
1 14 oz can stewed tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3/4 cup frozen peas
1 pound pasta (penne would work great)
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese for topping
*sun-dried tomatoes have a super strong flavor-flave, so if you’re not into sun-dried tomatoes just double up on the regular stewed tomatoes

First, get a big old pot of water boiling for the pasta and cook until al dente. Also get a small pot of water boiling for the peas. Add the peas, then turn heat to medium and cook for about 5 minutes until cooked through and tender. Drain and set aside.

For the easy peasy sauce, heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat and add the garlic. Sauté for one minute. Next add the sun-dried tomatoes, the stewed tomatoes (I sort of crush these up in my hand as I throw in), salt & pepper, and the cream. Simmer over medium heat for five minutes or so until everything is heated through.

Add pasta and peas to the tomato cream sauce and toss together until the pasta is well coated. Serve topped with fresh parmesan and EAT!