Pasta With Philadelphia Cream Cheese - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 cup small penne pasta
1 cup tri-color spiral pasta (rotini vegetable pasta)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup chopped small onion
2 large garlic cloves, chopped small
1 cup chopped chopped button mushroom
1/2 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons pesto sauce (I use 2 cubes of homemade frozen pesto)
1/3 cup Philadelphia Cream Cheese (herb and vegetable)
1 teaspoon dried basil or 2 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Preparation

In a large cooking pot or pasta pot, fill 3/4 full with hot water and bring to boil.
Add 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of salt and penne and rotini pasta.
Bring to boil and continue to cook uncovered for about 20 minutes or until el dente.
Meanwhile, in a large frying pan on medium-high heat add olive oil and butter.
Add onions and garlic and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, but do not burn.
Add mushrooms, sweet red pepper, green pepper and stir fry for 4 minutes.
Add pesto, basil, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, mix well to blend.
When pasta is cooked, drain well but reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water.
Add pasta and 1/4 cup of pasta water to the mixture in the frying pan and stir well to coat.
Add the cream cheese and stir well to coat the pasta.
Reserve the remaining 1/4 cup of pasta water to be used later if necessary.
Serve pasta immediately.
Refrigerate any unused portions. Cover with plastic wrap.
To re-warm the next day. Press parchment paper into a frying pan. Using scissors, cut the protruding parchment paper level with the top of the frying pan.
Add 1/4 cup of pasta water and the pasta and
stir to blend.
Cover the frying pan with a lid and heat the pasta on medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Serve hot.