Mascarpone Penne with Sun-dried Tomatoes

Happy Mother's Day to all of the moms out there! I'm up early and getting ready to head to class, at 4:30 on May 23rd my summer will officially begin. 

After Grilled Cheese month was over there was an almost full tub of mascarpone cheese sitting in the fridge. I wanted to smear it on bagels, but Dave wanted to transform it into something other than a substitute for regular cream cheese. This recipe was our compromise.

Recipe from She Knows.

Ingredients: 
-Salt and pepper to taste

-12 ounces penne, cooked according to package directions

-2 tablespoons butter

-2 tablespoons flour

-2 tablespoons whole milk

-1 (8 ounce) container mascarpone cheese

-1 cup Italian cheese mixture, shredded

-1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

-1 cup peas

Melt the butter  in a large saucepan (it needs to be large enough to hold all ingredients).
Whisk in the flour and milk until combined, then add the mascarpone and Italian cheeses and stir until melted. 

Mix in the sun-dried tomatoes, peas and pasta.
Stir to coat.

  

Season with salt and pepper to taste.

This pasta was so easy to make and the results were a great week night dinner. The sun-dried tomatoes added texture and a saltiness to the pasta. The peas added color and a nice fresh element. The mascarpone cheese melted fantastically with the Italian blend cheese and the sauce was very rich. This made a lot of pasta and the leftovers were just as good for lunch the next day.