Fettuccine With Mushrooms and Cherry Tomatoes

While sifting through my recipe clippings, I came across this yummy dish I had not made in years. It has a rich, but not heavy, creamy sauce chock full of tasty things I almost always have on hand : cream cheese, ham, cherry tomatoes, mushrooms. The sauce is rather thin in consistency, if you prefer a thicker sauce you may either add more Parmesan cheese or let it sit and thicken off the heat a bit as the pasta cooks.

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 12  ounces fettuccine pasta, freshly cooked, drained
• 1  cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1  cup cremini mushroom, quartered
• 1⁄2 cup green onion, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
• 4  ounces light cream cheese, at room temperature, cut into cubes (Neufchatel)
• 4  ounces  reduced-fat ham, diced
• 1  cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1⁄2 cup parmesan cheese, grated (to taste)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon white pepper
•  salt, to taste (optional)
• 1⁄8-1⁄4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes, to taste

Directions

1. Combine chicken broth and garlic in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Add mushrooms and onions, reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 3-5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender.
3. Add the cream cheese chunks and the ham, stirring and cooking until the cheese has melted over mediumm-low heat(keep an eye on this or your sauce will burn), about 5 minutes.
4. Add tomatoes and stir, cooking just long enoguh for them to heat through, about 5 minutes or so.
5. Remove from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese and the white pepper; return to heat on low and keep stirring until cheese has blended and melted -- adding more if you prefer a thicker sauce.
6. Give it a taste test and add salt and a bit of dried hot red pepper flakes (or cayennne pepper if you prefer), more pepper if you like.
7. Toss the sauce together with the fresh hot drained pasta and serve immediately.