Basil Cream Sauce

I'm always on the lookout for pasta sauces that aren't just red sauce. We make a great meat marinara over at our house, but I'm not always in a marinara mood.

I look up sauces online, but they often aren't what I'm looking for - either too cheesy or too buttery or too full of herbs we don't keep stocked.

So I went into full-on adventure mode this Wednesday and made up a sauce from scratch. I watch enough Top Chef and Restaurant Impossible, so I have some sense of what should go in a white pasta sauce.

The rest I just tried out on my own.

And you know what? It was fun! And successful! I'd tweak a few things next time, but here's the basic recipe. Sorry there aren't any pictures - my iPhone camera gets steamed up when I hold it over a hot stove!

Try the sauce for yourself and let me know what you think!

Basil Cream Sauce

Ingredients:
1 T. olive oil
2 small onions (or 1 large), quartered and separated into layers
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 c. white wine
2 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. butter
2 c. cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 large head broccoli
1/4 c. milk or cream
2 stems fresh rosemary
1/4 c. fresh basil, thinly sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Sautée onion in a large skillet over medium heat until well browned.
2. Add garlic and sautée for 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Deglaze the pan with wine (thanks for the chef word, Cooking Channel!) and add butter. Allow to simmer for several minutes, until all butter is melted.
4. Add in chicken broth and cherry tomatoes. Cook uncovered until liquid begins to reduce and tomatoes start to come apart.
5. Add in broccoli and stir to combine. When broccoli is al dente (not long - 1-2 minutes!), add in rosemary, basil, and milk and turn down to low heat.
6. Add in cooked pasta, cooked chicken, or rice and stir to combine. Salt and pepper to taste.

My husband looooved this sauce. The only thing he wanted was more pepper (no shock there, he peppers everything until it's practically black) and a dash of hot sauce. Next time I'd add in a few red pepper flakes for heat.

Easy, yummy, and good!

What's your favorite sauce?