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Penne Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

A pasta dish of penne tossed with a tomato cream sauce containing Canadian bacon and vegetables.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 12 ingredients
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Why it works: Onion and garlic match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 29,058 recipes. Both carry furaneol, which smells caramel, strawberry. The science ↓

Penne Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

Time10 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting fat or salt, then drain and set aside.

  2. Coat a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray, then place the skillet over medium-high heat until hot.

Make the sauce

  1. Add the Canadian bacon and the next three ingredients, and saute until vegetables are tender.

  2. Add tomato and the next four ingredients, then bring the mixture to a boil.

  3. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 more minutes.

Finish and serve

  1. Add pasta, stirring well, then cook over medium heat 2 to 3 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

  2. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.

  3. Garnish with a basil sprig if desired.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

1121Calories
35 gProtein
28 gFat
181 gCarbs
What these numbers assume: 13 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Pasta1 cup cooked (140g)220
Skimmed Milk1 cup (244ml) whole149
Vegetable1 tbsp (14g)120
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Onion1 medium (110g)44
Bacon1 slice cooked (8g)43
Tomato1 medium (123g)22
Chili1 tsp (2.7g)8
Black Pepper1 tsp ground (2.3g)6
Garlic1 clove (3g)4
Basil5 leaves fresh (2.5g)1
Salt1 tsp (6g)0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Onion + garlictop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together29,058 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  2. Tomato + basiltop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together3,979 recipes

    Shared aroma: 3-hexenal (apple, fruity).

  3. Pasta + garlictop 2% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,079 recipes

    Shared aroma: acetic acid (sour, vinegar).

  4. Garlic + tomatotop 3% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together14,076 recipes

    Shared aroma: furaneol (caramel, strawberry).

  5. Garlic + basiltop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together4,805 recipes

    Shared aroma: linalool (floral, citrus).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Penne pasta
Forms the bulk of the dish and carries the sauce.
Canadian bacon
Adds savory, browned meaty flavor to the sauce base.
Whole peeled tomatoes
Provide the main liquid, acidity and body of the sauce.
Evaporated skimmed milk
Adds creaminess and mild sweetness to the tomato sauce.
All-purpose flour
Thickens the sauce so it clings to the pasta.
Sweet red pepper
Adds sweetness and tender body to the sauce.

The step that matters

Simmering the sauce after the milk-free tomato base comes to a boil. Keeping the heat low and covered lets the flour fully thicken the sauce and the tomatoes soften without scorching on the bottom of the pan.

Swap the onion

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (pasta, pepper, clove, garlic, tomato, sugar, basil):

  1. Eggplantfits better
  2. Capsicumfits better
  3. Spinachfits better
  4. Onionthe original

Fit is the average pairing score against pasta, pepper, clove, garlic, tomato, sugar, basil. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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