Creamy Caprese

Sometimes, when we are desperate, and I mean REALLY desperate after I finish work, we grab a quick dinner at Fasta Pasta. I hate Fasta Pasta. The dishes all taste the same, bland and bland. Very bland. Anyway, so if we do end up there, the only dish my boyfriend gets is the Caprese. I tried it and bet him that I could make a more delicious version of it. That's exactly what I did. The recipe I found from 'how sweet it is' (How sweet it is 2011) said to use 1 cup of your favourite pasta sauce, instead I just made a batch of my homemade tomato pasta sauce. The result? Very, very good. I mean, incredibly good. However, thanks to the huge amount of cheese in it, this is only an occasional dish. 

4x small cake tins lightly greased (if you want individual portions)
500g  pasta (penne works best)
1 batch of pasta sauce
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese + more for garnish
200g fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes (half left whole and the rest cut in half)
10 fresh basil leaves, ripped

Pasta Sauce

1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 red onion, diced
1 clove of garlic diced (or as much as you prefer)
1x 400g tin of diced tomatoes
1/2 cup of vegetable stock
1/2 cup of beef stock
3/4 tbs of dried mixed spaghetti herbs (oregano, basil, garlic, thyme, red bell peppers and parsley)

Preheat oven to 180'C(350'F) degrees F. 

Boil water and cook pasta according to directions. Sautee onion and garlic in a pan with the oil over a medium heat until soft and brown. Add the tomatoes, stock and herbs. Stir and let simmer. When reduced and thick stir in cream and parmesan.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and add to sauce. Mix and turn off heat. Add mozzarella cubes, tomatoes and basil leaves. Separate mixture evenly into the small cake tins. Alternatively, add mixture to oven proof dish. Top with mozzarella rounds and bake for 25 mins or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

How sweet it is. (2011). Creamy Caprese Pasta. Retrieved from http://www.howsweeteats.com/2011/05/creamy-caprese-pasta/