Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pasta. Show all posts

Pasta with Italian Sausage and Greens


So I have no clever name for this dish, but it is delicious and oh-so-nutritious. I got the recipe from a friend's blog, and made some adjustments to it to better fit my taste. Anytime Gary and I make pasta we try to overload it with veggies. Well, on a mission to fix a long standing Vitamin K deficiency I have had before I have to start getting shots (ouch!), we are on a leafy-green diet overhaul. Hence the spinach shakes for breakfast....
You can use any kind of greens you want, I used these just because I like them. I really did not measure the greens, I just put in as much as I could b/c I like to sneak them in.
Kale is an incredibly leafy green I have never used before, but it is so incredibly nutrient and Vitamin K rich I decided to try it tonight.

12 oz. penne pasta (I used the Ronzoni Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoon olive oil
1 lb. sweet Italian turkey sausage- casings removed
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 large onion, thinly sliced, rings roughly separated
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
kosher salt, to taste
Kale (I used a whole "bunch")
Spinach (a few cups)
freshly ground pepper


Boil large pot of water and cook pasta to al dente while preparing the sauce. When pasta finishes cooking, reserve two cups of the pasta water before draining.


Heat garlic and olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and brown, breaking it up into crumbles with a wooden spoon. Add onion slices and saute until transparent, a little over five minutes. Add tomatoes, red pepper and a pinch of salt. Saute for about five minutes then stir to break up the tomatoes a bit. Add half the greens and stir to wilt it.

Drain the pasta and add it to the pan with the sausage sauce. Raise the heat to high and stir to combine pasta with the juices. Add half the reserved water and stir well. Add the remaining greens one handful at a time until all is wilted and incorporated into the dish. Add the remaining reserved water and cheese, stir well to combine the cheese into the sauce.

I put a bit of Parmesan on top when it was done. This was yummy, healthy, and very easy!

Sunday Splurge... On Hand Alfredo

So... in just 2 weeks, you should already be sensing a pattern... When we splurge on a calorie-rich meal, it tends to involve lots of cheesy, creamy sauces and wine....

I hadn't actually planned on a splurge this weekend, but when I asked my uber-stressed out hubby what he wanted for dinner, he requested pasta and Alfredo sauce... so I figured why not? The problem was, I did not have cream cheese or heavy cream (my two usual bases for Alfredo recipes) on hand, so I began a search for a recipe that didn't call for either. I ended up discovering a fabulous new sauce recipe that is destined to become a new favorite (I like it better than last week's, so that ought to tell you something!) The best part is, I made the whole thing with ingredients that I almost always have on hand in my fridge.

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup shredded Italian cheeses (Mozzarella, Romano, etc.)
1/2 cup Parmesano Reggiano cheese (or plain Parmesan)
3 tablespoons fresh or 1-2 tablespoons dried parsley
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
salt and pepper

Melt butter and add flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly to cook flour. Add cream and broth all at once and blend well. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until cheese has melted and sauce is smooth.

Pour over pasta (with chicken, shrimp, or pancetta if desired).

Additional cheese can be added to the topping, if desired. Bake in oven until cheese is golden brown.