Cibo’s Penne Al Telefono

First recipe post is this dish which I have long cooked for my family and friends. Yes, I am proud to proclaim that it has received demands to be brought in “potluck” occasions and out of town trips to which I happily obliged.

But why this dish?

My love for this pasta goes way back during my senior year in Poveda. My bestfriend Michaela and I would be in Shangri-la, and never fail, we would always have our meals at Cibo. Staple orders would be the Spinach Dip and Penne Al Telefono. This became my favorite pasta throughout the years as it is light on the tummy and is a vegetarian dish. (Although, I am not a vegetarian haha! I just felt like saying that for added info.?)

Cibo is a classic!

Sometimes, the cravings were insane that one day, I just decided to look for a food hack and tadaaaaaa…..here it is! (Ooops, sorry Margarita Fores! But I truly, trulyyy adore Cibo forever, and ever.❤️ )

The original recipe that I found used butter but I opted to omit it since I wanted this pasta to have a certain consistency…and of course, less fattening haha! I tweaked it a bit. It still does taste like the one from Cibo, anyway. But more importantly, my cravings for Penne Al Telefono have instantly been satisfied ever since!

It is very easy to follow, guys. So don’t you worry about not having Mario Batali skills in the kitchen. (Like I do haha! You will survive!) If you do have any questions, suggestions, or comments, feel free to drop a message below. Buon appetito!

Here is what you will need:

The ingredients.

500 grams Penne Pasta

1/2 cup Butter (you may opt to use the lite version)

1/2 cup Philadelphia Cream Cheese

1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese, grated

1 cup Evaporated Milk (…or again you can opt for low-fat version)

6 pieces Whole and Peeled Tomatoes (canned), sliced vertically into strips

1 Chicken Cube

Basil, cut into strips

dash of pepper

Cook the Penne pasta Al Dente. That means boil it in salt water for about 6-8 minutes depending on the quantity. Take note that Al Dente pasta will feel firm and not hard once you bite through it.

And now for the step-by-step procedure of the sauce…

Procedure:

1. Melt the butter and cream cheese.
2. Once fully melted, add the mozzarella cheese and melt them together.
3. Continue stirring as they eventually combine.
4. Pour in the evaporated milk.
5. Continue stirring on low heat until consistency of the sauce becomes a bit thicker.
6. Add in the tomatoes.
7. Melt in the chicken broth.
8. Add the basil and continue stirring all of them together until the broth has completely combined with the sauce.

What’s also nice about the sauce is that, it could also be used as a dip. Try it out as well!

Penne Al Telefono served with buttered toast on the side. Buon Appetito!