Spaghetti with Two Sauces

I adapted this recipe from The Best of Cooking Light cookbook. It looked creamy, tangy and delicious. I changed the red sauce a bit by roasting the tomatoes and adding extra garlic and seasonings. I also used spaghetti instead of linguine. I loved this meal...it was perfect for a cold rainy day. I served it with a fresh garden salad and hot bread from the oven. It was a big hit with my entire family.

Red Sauce:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 28 oz can of whole tomatoes
• 1/2 sweet yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp of dried oregano (divided)
• 1 tsp of dried basil (divided)
• 3 cloves of garlic
• Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2-3 fresh basil leaves, chopped
• 1/2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and coat it with olive oil cooking spray. Place the onion and whole tomatoes on the center of sheet, reserving the juice. Slide the garlic cloves inside the tomatoes - this protects the garlic from burning and infuses the tomato with the roasted garlic flavor (YUM). Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of oregano and 1/2 teaspoon of dried basil all over the tomatoes along with the sea salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with olive oil and place in the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the tomatoes, onions and garlic are tender, sweet and juicy. Be careful not to over cook them because the tomatoes will dry up.

Once they are roasted, remove from the oven and place in a Dutch oven. Over medium low heat combine the roasted tomatoes and onions, the reserved tomato sauce, sugar and remaining dried oregano and dried basil. Puree the mixture with an immersion blender. Simmer for at least two hours. Add the fresh basil and parsley; taste and re-season with salt or pepper if needed.

White Sauce:

• 2 tsp olive oil
• 4 cups of cremini or button mushrooms, sliced (about 12 ounces)
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups 1% low fat milk
• 1 cup shredded reduced fat Swiss cheese (such as Alpine Lace) (4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 8 cups of cooked linguine (I used spaghetti), cooked per instructions
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown. Add the minced garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds then remove from the pan and set aside. Lightly spoon the flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Add flour to saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Place the flour mixture over medium heat, and cook until mixture is thick (about 3 minutes), stirring constantly. Stir in the Swiss cheese, wine, salt and pepper. Cook mixture until the cheese melts (about 1 minute), stirring constantly. Remove mixture from heat, and stir in the cooked mushrooms and garlic. Taste and re-season if needed.

Combine the spaghetti (or linguine) and mushroom sauce in a large bowl. Spoon mixture into a large 13 x 9 baking dish that is coated with cooking spray. Spread tomato sauce evenly over spaghetti mixture; then sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and extra Parmesan, if desired. Enjoy.

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