Fresh Tomato and Sausage Pasta

I had a great day today! My son started his first day of preschool today, and that combined with my daughter being in school, left me gloriously child free for two and a half hours! I grabbed a friend, who is also newly childless and we hit the town... Well okay, we hit a craft store, and the mall, but we also fit in a late breakfast at Whole Foods, as well as peaceful conversation without any whining, hitting or biting. It. Was. Fantastic.

Afterward I picked up a little boy who walked with a bit more swagger in his step. He was, afterall, a preschooler, which makes him much cooler. We enjoyed some time at the park afterward, because even though it's September, it's still hot, and humid. I'm actually okay with it though because I'm not quite sure I'm done eating all of my summer favorites, like this dish.


I rarely repeat recipes on my blog, but this goes down as one of my all time favorite recipes. It's basically all of my very favorite foods in one skillet, basil, pasta, tomatoes, cheese, sausage, delicious! I felt like it would be remiss of me not to re-introduce it, especially when the weather still allows it.

Fresh Tomato and Sausage Pasta
Cooking Light September 2009

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked penne
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup vertically sliced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 pounds tomato, chopped
6 tablespoons grated, fresh pecorino Romano cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage and onion to pan; cook four minutes, stirring to crumble sausage. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 2 tablespoons cheese, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and basil.

Serves 4: 2 cups pasta, 1 tablespoon cheese

Per Serving: 389 cal, 10.7g fat, 21.6g prot, 4.5g fiber, 27mg chol

Baked Penne and Sausage Supper

It's been a hectic morning, but we're already done for the day, and now we are all in jammies watching Tangled. Have you seen Tangled yet? I'm pretty sure it's the cutest cartoon ever made.

And while we are all snuggling and munching on Pirate's Booty, it's hitting me how important it is to embrace the small things that make us happy. We can't always escape life with a cruise or ease the pressure of life with a new car, but we can be grateful for life's day to day mercies and gifts. Here are some of those things for me...

*Reading a book and reaching that twist or climax in the plot that makes me gasp, or laugh out loud (resulting in really weird looks from my family).

*The store clerk that comps a treat for my kids and has them smiling all afternoon.

*Finding that article of clothing that fits so well that you're convinced it was made JUST for you.

*A three hour gab fest with your best friend at Cheesecake Factory, Buffalo Blasts included.

*A passing kiss on the arm from your little boy who in that moment just needed to let you know that he loves you.

*Your husband coming home early, when you didn't plan on him coming back until way past dinner.

*Eating a dish full of pasta, AND sausage, AND cheese, without feeling any guilt because it happens to be light!

Baked Penne and Sausage Supper
America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook

Ingredients

1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 onion, halved and sliced thin
1 red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 ounces hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage, cut out of it's casing
salt and pepper
8 ounces whole wheat pasta (I used regular)
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly coat an 8-inch square baking dish with vegetable oil spray and set aside. Pulse the tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until mostly smooth, about 5 pulses.

2. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

3. Stir in the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Stir in the processed tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook, until slightly thickened, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to a boil in a large pot. Add the pasta and 1 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring often, until almost al dente but still firm to the bite. Reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

5. Add the meat sauce and reserved cooking water to the pasta and toss to combine. spread half of the pasta mixture in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining pasta and 1/2 cup mozzarella.

6. Bake until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Let cook for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4: 1 serving is 1 4 inch square

Per Serving: 380 cal, 13g fat, 45g carb, 22g prot, 8g fiber



What are some of the small things that make YOU happy?

Sausage, Tomato, and Arugula Fettuccine

This dish helped me to make a very important discovery.

I love arugula.

I don't know what it is about this leaf. It's got flavor that so unlike regular lettuce. It's sharp, slightly bitter, and fragrant. It's especially good in dishes like this, partially wilted, coating the whole meal in an earthy, green flavor. After I made this pasta, I had a bunch of arugula left, which lasted for about a day because I was looking for any excuse to eat it. I do believe that arugula will be a permanent staple in our house.

This was a DELICIOUS pasta. It's pretty much ready as soon as that pasta is cooked, and the flavors are incredible. My whole family loved it, and even the leftovers disappeared quickly, always a good sign!

Sausage, Arugula and Tomato Fettuccine
Cooking Light December 2010

Ingredients

1 (9-ounce) package refrigerated fettuccine (I just used dried, I wasn't in THAT big a hurry)
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 ounces Italian turkey sausage
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 cups baby arugula leaves
2 ounces pecorino Romano cheese, shaved, mine was shredded

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2/3 cup cooking liquid.

2. While pasta cooks, heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Break sausage into bite-sized pieces and add to pan; cook 3 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently to crumble. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper; cover and cook 2 minutes. Mash tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon to break them up. Cover pan; reduce heat to low, and cook 3 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Add pasta, reserved 2/3 cup cooking liquid, and arugula; toss well. Sprinkle with pecorino Romano.


Per 1 1/3 cup: CALORIES 356 ; FAT 13g (sat 4.2g,mono 4.2g,poly 2.4g); CHOLESTEROL 92mg; CALCIUM 168mg; CARBOHYDRATE 39.3g; SODIUM 706mg; PROTEIN 19.8g; FIBER 3.9g; IRON 3mg

Bowties with Sausage and Roasted Peppers

During these dark days with no oven (long, drawn out sigh) I'm grateful for dinners that can all be done on the stove top like this. Granted, I'd have to use roasted peppers from a jar, but hey, these are tough, oven-less times we're living in.

It's kind of impossible to not like this meal, my kids happily chowed this down. Originally the recipe called for Orecchiette, but there was none to be found at the grocery store, so I found these itty bitty bowties instead, aren't they cute! To lighten it up a bit, I used turkey sausage, which in my mind is just as delicious. I also loved the fresh roasted peppers, they offer a bright and sweet addition to this savory meal. This recipe makes a lot, so when we pulled it out for leftovers, I tossed it in marinara to make it a bit different, and it was just as delicious. This is so great for a quick and easy weeknight meal, enjoy!



Bowties with Sausage and Roasted Peppers
Adapted by Great Food Fast by Martha Stewart

Ingredients

2 medium red bell peppers and 2 medium yellow bell peppers, four flat sides cut off core, ribs and seeds discarded
course salt and fresh ground pepper
1 lb orecchiette, small bowties or other short pasta (next time I would use about 3/4 lb)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 lb sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. Heat the broiler. Place the peppers, skin side up, on a fol-lined baking sheet; broil 4 inches from the heat until charred, 18-20 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap; steam for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a paper towel, rub off the pepper skins, reserving any juices in the bowl. thinly slice the peppers crosswise into 1/4 inch strips; return to bowl. Set aside.

2. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, until browned, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the roasted peppers; cook until heated through.

4. Transfer the sausage mixture to a large bowl; add the pasta, butter, reserved pasta water, and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine.

Zuppa Toscana

Whenever I go to Olive Garden for lunch, I'm always sure to get a bowl of this tasty stuff. Zuppa Toscana, with it's hearty kale and delicious sausage, you really can't go wrong. The only thing better then eating it at a restaurant, is eating it at home donning pajamas and warm fuzzy socks, whilst watching your favorite show. I also love making things like this myself because I can lighten it up without lightening flavor, like using turkey sausage, and fat free half and half. Mmmmm, delicious.

Zuppa Toscana
Adapted From Allrecipes

Ingredients

1 pound bulk mild Italian sausage
1 1/4 teaspoons crushed red pepper
flakes
4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
5 (13.75 ounce) cans chicken broth
6 potato, thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 bunch fresh kale, tough stems
removed

Directions

1. Cook the Italian sausage and red pepper flakes in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until crumbly, browned, and no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and set aside.

2. Cook the bacon in the same Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp, about 10 minutes. Drain, leaving a few tablespoons of drippings with the bacon in the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in the onions and garlic; cook until onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

3. Pour the chicken broth into the Dutch oven with the bacon and onion mixture; bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and kale, and boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the heavy cream and the cooked sausage; heat through.

Skillet Penne and Sausage Dinner

This is the type of dish that only needs a few words to get it's point across...

Thirty Minutes

One Skillet

Knock-Your-Socks-Off Delicious!

Skillet Penne and Sausage Dinner
America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, minced
salt
pound hot or sweet Italian turkey sausage, casings removed
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine
8 ounces penne
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream (I used fat free half and half)
1 (5 oz) bag spinach
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

2. Stir in the sausage and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 4 minutes.

3. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Sprinkle the tomatoes and penne evenly over the sausage. Pour the broth and cream over the pasta. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Stir in the spinach a handful at a time and cook until wilted, about two minutes. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Fresh Tomato, Sausage, and Pecorino Pasta

There are so many good recipes out there, so many things to try, that I rarely make the same dish twice, even when I love it. But I'm making this pasta again tomorrow! It.was.so.good, I just don't know how else to put it. Fresh tomatoes, fresh basil, penne pasta and lots of cheese, I don't think life gets any better.

The only change I made to this recipe was using turkey sausage instead of regular, which only lightened it up and did not compromise the taste at all.

Fresh Tomato, Sausage, and Pecorino Pasta
Found in Cooking Light September 2009

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked penne
8 ounces sweet Italian sausage
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 cup vertically sliced onion
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/4 pounds tomato, chopped
6 tablespoons grated, fresh pecorino Romano cheese, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage and onion to pan; cook four minutes, stirring to crumble sausage. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 2 tablespoons cheese, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and basil.

Serves 4: 2 cups pasta, 1 tablespoon cheese

Per Serving: 389 cal, 10.7g fat, 21.6g prot, 4.5g fiber, 27mg chol

Points per Serving: 8

Creole-Style Potato Wraps

For a few weeks now I have been watching the BSI challenge coming and going feeling a bit too shy/lazy/unequipped to jump in, but when Christo from Chezwhat? chose potatoes for the challenge, I felt like I would be doing my homestate (Idaho) wrong for not joining. Potatoes were a huge part of my diet growing up, and why wouldn't they be? We were surrounded by them, they are cheap, delicious and versatile. I love potatoes!

My food loving hubby and I had a lot of fun thinking this one up. I'm not entirely familiar with Cajun style food, but we do have a bottle of Creole seasoning, so we went with it. My biggest piece of advice for you when you make it, make sure you use the biggest and sturdiest flour tortillas you can get. I made the mistake of using small, lowfat ones, and ended up having to just stack another tortilla on top and making "wedges" instead of wraps. It tasted just as good, but I think it still would have been a bit easier to eat had it been pressed as a wrap. I loved the mildness of the potato with all the bold spicy flavors of the Cajun seasoning and andouille sausage, and the tomatoes and mushrooms added a nice cool balance. This was so much fun to create with my husband and definitely something that we will be making again!

Creole-Style Potato Wraps

Ingredients (for 1)

1/2-1 baked potato, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon creole seasoning
1 tomato, thinly sliced
1/4 cup ground andouille sausage, casing removed (Costco has a great chicken andouille sausage) 1 green onion, sliced
1/4 cup mushrooms sliced
1/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 large flour tortilla

Directions

Sprinkle each potato slice with creole seasoning, both sides. Heat large skillet with olive oil and saute potatoes until each side is browned. Set aside. In same skillet, saute sausage, green onion and mushrooms until mushrooms and soft and onions are slightly wilted. Lay tortilla on plate. Arrange potatoes down the center, then lay tomatoes on top.



The top with sausage mixture and cheese.
(Can you see the ridiculousness of my small tortillas? I ended up just spreading the ingredients out, adding more potatoes and tomatoes, and placing another tortilla on top. Luckily the cheese held it all together nicely.)

Fold the outside sides of tortilla into the center and lay gently onto panini press, or pressed into a skillet with a weight on top. Be sure both sides are pressed evenly until tortilla is nice and browned and the cheese is melted. I'm not exactly sure is sour cream is part of Cajun eating, but it would be a delicious way to top these bad boys all the same! Here you go Christo, thanks for choosing such a great ingredient!

Glenn's Ultimate Hot Dogs

I'm afraid this post just had to be done. When Glenn (my hubs) gets an idea about something he wants to make, he will not drop it until he gets it. I found these chicken andouille sausages at Costco, and I snatched them up because they were only two points each! Glenn was also SO excited, because it meant he would finally get the ultimate hotdogs that he'd been dreaming about nonstop for the last two weeks.

These are incredibly simple. You split your dog down the center, stuff with grated cheese of your choice, wrap tightly in bacon and secure with toothpicks. Grill, turning so that the bacon gets evenly cooked, don't be alarmed if some of the cheese drips out. Place in your bun, top with mustard, onions, relish, whatever sounds good to you. Be sure to have your defibrillator paddles close just to be safe!

You'll notice that mine was missing the bacon and cheese, not because I didn't want one, but because I probably would have ended up so sick if I ate one in it's entirety. I did try one though, and it was good. My advice would be to start with just a plain hotdog, and not a sausage or brat. The cheese and bacon already add so much flavor that the sausage made the whole thing a bit overwhelming. Definitely not the healthiest dish, but hey, it's summertime, you gotta let loose every once and a while!

Baked Sausage and Tortellini

Well I just said goodbye to my family and I'm a bit sad, so I thought saying hello to my food friends might cheer me up! A huge Internet hug to all of you for such sweet well wishes with my family, we had such a wonderful time and ate SO much incredible food, which I will share with you in the near future. I'm going to do my very best in the next few days to catch up with your blogs, because I know I don't want to miss anything!

This baked tortellini was another invention of necessity after realizing that my grocery supply was down. However, I did have my bottomless bag of tortellini from Costco and a Hillshire Farms sausage (just for you Donna!). This dish was absolutely delicious and disappeared fast, I was actually sad to discover that my husband had gotten to the leftovers before I had. Initially I didn't plan to bake it because we were starving and didn't want to wait. But I'm really glad I did, it gave the tortellini time to soak up that much more flavor and you got a nice melty bubbly layer of cheese on top. I can't wait to make this dish again, it's so easy, and fantastic with some crusty bread and a green salad.

Please keep in mind that all measurements are complete guesstimates as I don't measure when I cook, so trust yourself and do what tastes good!

Baked Sausage and Tortellini

Ingredients

1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 kielbasa sausage, cubed into 1 inch cubes (I used a turkey kielbasa)
3 cups cooked cheese tortellini
1 jar favorite pasta marinara or spaghetti sauce
Italian seasonings
fennel seeds
garlic salt
1-2 cups mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan

Directions

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Saute onions and garlic until soft. Add sausage and cook for 1-2 minutes until sausage is browned. Add sauce, pasta and seasonings to desired taste. Mix until combined and cooked through.

Spoon into a sprayed 8x8 baking pan. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese and then layer mozzarella evenly on top of pasta. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and beginning to brown.