Penne with a Sausage Cream Sauce

When I was looking for recipes with chicken sausage, I found this one. The recipe calls for Italian sausage, but chicken sausage still tasted wonderful.  This was a hit with my family.  It took about 30 minutes to prepare this meal and serve. 

Ingredients:

1 pound sausage (sweet Italian sausage, casings removed or ground chicken sausage)
1 tablespoon of butter
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 medium onion (diced)
4 garlic cloves (minced)
2/3 cup of dry white wine
1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced peeled tomatoes, undrained
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoons chopped Italian Parsley
1 teaspoon of salt to taste
pepper to taste
1 pound penne pasta, cooked according to package
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (do not use the canned stuff)

Directions:

Cook sausage in a large skillet of medium-high heat.  Remove sausage and set aside; drain excess grease from skillet. 

Melt butter and oil in the skillet; add the onion and saute until softened and golden in color.  Add garlic, cook and stir 1 minute.  Add wine to skillet and reduce volume by half, about 2 minutes.  Add tomatoes and simmer 3 minutes.

Return cooked sausage to skillet, add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes.  Stir in parsley, salt and pepper.

Place cooked Penne in a large serving bowl (I just used the pan that I cooked the pasta in); pour sauce over pasta; add Parmesan cheese and toss to combine.

Serve sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese. 

Serves 6. 

Sauce prepared before pouring over Penne

 Completed Penne with a Sausage Cream Sauce

Adapted from www.cooks.com

Pasta with a Garlic Cream Sauce



Claudia posted a recipe for me to try.  I was amazed how easy and tasty this recipe was, even the kids liked it.  You can add chicken, shrimp or even some veggies to this pasta. 

Ingredients:

1 stick of butter
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 Pint of whipping cream
4 oz of grated Parmesan cheese
8 oz of cooked linguini, spaghetti or angel hair pasta
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

In a heavy bottom pan, melt the butter, add the garlic and let it infuse for a little bit (without browning the garlic).  Add the whipping cream, let it boil and simmer on low heat until the sauce is reduced by 10% (important step).  Add the Parmesan cheese and season to taste.  Add the cooked pasta and toss.

Sauce after simmering

 Finished pasta, serve with chicken or shrimp



Skillet Penne with Sausage and Spinach

A friend posted this recipe and it sounded good.  I am not one for vegetables, but thought I should give it a try.  After making this for dinner, I was very impressed.  Andrew had 2 plates full and Christine had a big portion as well.  Even though I am not a fan of any vegetables, I would make this again!

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon of olive oil (I did not use)
1 pound hot or sweet Italian sausage (I used ground chicken sausage)
3 gloves of garlic (minced)
2 1/4 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
2 1/4 cups of water
8 ounces of penne pasta (2 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, rinsed and chopped fine (I used sun-dried tomatoes, not in the oil - just dry)
1 (6 ounce) bag of baby spinach
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (I did not use)

Directions:

1) Brown Sausage: Heat oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking (I skipped this step).  Add sausage, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until lightly browned, about 3 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2) Simmer Penne: Stir in broth, water, penne, tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until penne is tender and liquid has thickened, 15 to 18 minutes.

3) Wilt Spinach: Stir in spinach, handful at time, and cook until wilted.  Off heat, stir in  Parmesan and nuts.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve.

from Cooks Illustrated

Tex-Mex Macaroni Casserole

McCormick® Taco Seasoning Mix is a simple way to add flavor to this family favorite casserole. Stir in sour cream for a milder flavor.

Makes 8 (1-cup) servings.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 package McCormick® Taco Seasoning Mix (I buy Taco Seasoning in bulk at Sam's Club)
2 cups water
1 can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
1 cup frozen whole kernel corn
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:

1. Brown beef and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat. Drain fat.
2. Stir in Seasoning Mix, water, diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and corn. Bring to boil. Add pasta. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Sprinkle with cheese, cover. Let stand 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

BTW, I used organic canned tomatoes and grass fed beef which is very lean.

Ingredients

From the McCormick's website:http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Casseroles/Tex-Mex-Macaroni-Casserole.aspx