Penne with Creamy Sundried Tomato Sauce

Okay, so this one is not entirely original. But, I do feel super proud of myself for coming up with this meal when I thought we had nothing around to eat. Today was the first day back in the gym after a few weeks of sickness and a busy work schedule. That got me in the door around 8pm to shower and start dinner. So the plan for the butternut squash curry was definitely not happening today. I decided to make some whole wheat penne, and I came across this simple recipe on the Carnation site when I googled "penne ala vodka" - which surprise surprise - I actually don't make well. It's especially hard when you never have vodka on hand. I believe I've changed this base recipe enough to call it mine, mostly due to the fact that I had random things on hand. It came out really well, almost as good as real penne ala vodka. We went back for seconds, so it was a success.

Penne with Creamy Sundried Tomato Sauce
(serves 4)
1/4 box Barilla Penne Plus
1/2 can of evaporated milk (about 6oz from a 12oz can) **do NOT use condensed milk
1/4 C chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 C frozen peas
1/4 C sundried tomato in oil (chopped into strips if not already)
1 C Tomato sauce (canned, about 1-1/2 cans, low-sodium)
1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 C grated fresh Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
1/4 C grated fresh Pecorino Romano cheese
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt, black pepper, dried basil, crushed red pepper flakes

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a medium saucepan. When tender, in about 3-4 minutes, remove from pan and set aside. Add evaporated milk to pan, over medium-low heat. Add cheeses, and stir until melted. Add back the onions and garlic, and the tomato sauce. Season with black pepper, red pepper and basil. Taste before adding much salt since pecorino can be quite salty. Continue to stir from time to time. Meanwhile, boil pasta in a large pot. About 3 minutes before the end of the cook time, add the sundried tomatoes. 1 minute before, add frozen peas. Drain the pot, and add the pasta back to it. Add the sauce to the pot and stir together, seasoning again if needed. Serve topped with with fresh basil or parsley.