Spaghetti with Cheesy Tomato Cream Sauce

Just last week I saw the Food Nanny show on television for the first time.  On the show she prepared a creamy tomato spaghetti sauce that sounded wonderful.  My mouth watered just thinking about it.  I looked online and couldn't find the exact recipe but after some searching I found this recipe which seemed very close.  I gave this recipe a try tonight and it was a BIG hit.  My husband requested that I make this for his next pre-race dinner and my son had two huge helpings.  (He loves pasta despite the veggie laden sauce!)

I slightly modified the online recipe version by decreasing the amount of pepper, adding dried oregano, using fat-free half-and-half instead of cream, and using a slightly increased amount of ricotta cheese.

SPAGHETTI WITH CHEESY TOMATO CREAM SAUCE

1 T butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ small onion, minced
1-15 oz. can crushed tomatoes
1-15 oz. can diced tomatoes
¼ c grated Parmesan cheese
½ fat-free half-and-half
⅓ c low-fat ricotta cheese
1 T dried basil
1 T dried oregano
¼ t salt
⅛ t pepper
1-lb. spaghetti

 Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until softened. Stir in the tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper and bring to a simmer. Add the half-and-half, Parmesan cheese, and Ricotta cheese. Cook over low heat until sauce thickens sufficiently to coat the back of a spoon (~10-15 minutes). Serve over pasta topped with additional Parmesan cheese if desired.Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain.