Garlic Cream Elbows with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil (+ Giveaway)

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An easy, family-friendly recipe for elbow macaroni tossed in a lightened up garlic cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. A delicious meatless meal ready in about 30 minutes!

An easy family-friendly recipes for macaroni tossed in a lightened up garlic cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. A delicious meatless meal ready in about 30 minutes! #HealthyPastaMonth

This post is sponsored by Dreamfields

Pasta is one of my favorite dishes and my kiddos too. I usually have pasta night one or two nights a week. Spaghetti night is a family favorite and I usually like to include another pasta dish on the menu during the week. Sometimes an easy make ahead casserole or even a dish like this lightened up garlic cream sauce tossed with sun-dried tomatoes and fresh basil with macaroni. It’s a quick and easy meatless meal perfect for a busy weeknight.

Elbow macaroni is a noodle I use often in my pasta salads, soups and of course mac and cheese. The size is perfect for my kiddos so I always a staple in my pantry. Dreamfields pasta is a brand that I have used for years. It has the same delicious taste and texture as traditional pasta because it’s made with premium durum wheat semolina in North Dakota. I also love it because a one-cup cooked serving of Dreamfields which is about 2 ounces dry provides 5 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein!

An easy family-friendly recipes for macaroni tossed in a lightened up garlic cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. A delicious meatless meal ready in about 30 minutes! #HealthyPastaMonth

An easy family-friendly recipes for macaroni tossed in a lightened up garlic cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. A delicious meatless meal ready in about 30 minutes! #HealthyPastaMonth

This lighter garlic cream sauce is rich and creamy you can’t even tell lightened up! Typically a cream sauce is made with heavy whipping cream. A tiny pint of that cream can really pack on the calories quick. My garlic cream sauce uses 2% milk instead of cream which makes a huge difference in calories when you compare the two. I also like to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese as it provides an even creamier texture but the store bought grated Parmesan will work just fine too.

What I love about this sauce is you can toss it with whatever Dreamfields pasta and veggies you’d like. I personally like the combination of sun-dried tomatoes (I use vacuum-packed sun dried tomatoes) and fresh basil but you could swap that out for steamed broccoli, peas, spinach or kale; whatever you have on hand to make a tasty 30 minute meal any night of the week!

An easy family-friendly recipes for macaroni tossed in a lightened up garlic cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. A delicious meatless meal ready in about 30 minutes! #HealthyPastaMonth

#HealthyPastaMonth Giveaway

Dreamfields pasta is giving away a $25.00 gift card PLUS an awesome Dreamfields prize pack to one lucky Mother Thyme reader! Fill out the entry form below for you chance to win! HURRY! Giveaway ends on October 30th and make sure you share it with your family and friends so they have a chance to win too!

You can also follow along on Twitter using hashtag #HealthyPastaMonth to see all the amazing healthy Dreamfields pasta recipes being featured this month!

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Garlic Cream Elbows with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Basil

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★★★★★

4.7 from 23 reviews

An easy family-friendly recipes for elbows tossed in a lightened up garlic cream sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and basil. A delicious meatless meal ready in about 30 minutes!

  • Author: Jennifer
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces about 2 cups Dreamfields Elbows
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • ¼ cup diced red onion
  • 4 cloves garlic (minced)
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup 2% milk
  • ½ cup 2 ounces grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • â…“ cup julienne cut sun-dried tomatoes (not packed in oil, divided)
  • â…“ cup freshly chopped basil (divided)
  • Salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, heat butter in large deep skillet over medium heat until melted. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Add garlic to skillet; cook 1 minute or until fragrant, stirring frequently. Stir in flour; cook and stir 1 minute or until flour is dissolved and mixture is smooth and paste-like. Gradually whisk in milk, about 2 tablespoons at a time, until sauce thickens.
  3. Stir in Parmesan cheese until well combined. Stir in chicken broth. Reduce heat; simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Remove from heat.
  4. Add pasta to skillet; toss to combine. Stir in 1/4 cup of the tomatoes and 1/4 cup of the basil. Season with salt and pepper, as desired. Top with remaining tomatoes and basil; serve immediately.

Nutrition

  • Calories: 340
  • Sodium: 280
  • Fat: 9
  • Saturated Fat: 5
  • Carbohydrates: 52
  • Fiber: 6
  • Protein: 16
  • Cholesterol: 25

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Disclosure: I received compensation from Dreamfields for recipe development and post. All opinions are my own.

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78 Comments

  32. My favorite is rotini!

    Entered the Rafflecopter as “Wild Orchid”

    Thanks for the chance to win!

    wildorchid985 AT gmail DOT com

    Reply

  41. Love pasta and one pot dishes like this one.
    I use all shapes of pasta because depending on the dish I am creating..the sauce or not will depend on my pasta choice.
    No fave..like equally but, I use elbows and linquini the most.
    Thanks..great giveaway for the pasta!

    ★★★★

    Reply

  48. I like the rotini, esp if I’m making a thicker sauce. I think the sauce sticks on the twists better. Also, I don’t make rotini homemade.

    Reply

  50. My favorite grocery store just started carrying Dreamfields pasts. Happy dance! I like to use shells. This recipe looks like a keeper.Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply

  76. I have yet to try Dreamfields, but I’m going to try the elbows ASAP. Hubby was just diagnosed with high cholesterol, and I am revamping our entire diet. Need to try this!

    Reply

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