It has been a pretty lazy summer, cooking-wise, but once we get back in to a routine I feel compelled to cook again. The multi - pot dinner that requires that I start before 5 pm.
It has become a tradition that Charlie gets to request what I cook on his first day back at school-this year he requested his favorite pasta. Since he has several 'favorite' pastas, he needed to clarify. And this is it:
Sun Dried Tomato Pasta with Sausage
1 lb Italian Sausage (you can use turkey if you are inclined)
garlic cloves
olive oil
1-2 Tbsp. butter
1 lb. noodles (Charlie prefers Farfalle for this)
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced (I like to use baby portobellos)
1 jar Classico Sun Dried Tomato Alfredo Sauce (I know, I am cheating, but this one is pretty good when you don't have time for homemade sauce)
3-4 oz. sun dried tomatoes in oil, drained & chopped
milk or half and half (depending on how many calories you are counting)
freshly grated parmesan
Crumble and cook the sausage in a saute pan, drain and remove. In the same pan, drizzle a little olive oil, throw in a tbsp. or two of butter, and let it melt. Mince several cloves of garlic (you decide how many) and get the oil/butter mixture flavored up. Toss in your sliced mushrooms and cook them. While they are cooking, get your water boiling for your noodles. When the mushrooms have absorbed all of their liquid, toss the sausage back in, along with the tomatoes. Stir it up well, then add the alfredo sauce. I fill the jar about 1/3 of the way with milk, give it a really good shake to loosen all of the creamy bits of sauce left in the jar, and stir it into the mixture. Let it cook on low while your noodles are finishing up. When the noodles are drained, toss it all together and grate some fresh parm over the top. Oh yum. I have also torn up some fresh basil and thrown in at the end, along with some chopped fresh tomatoes, to add more layers of flavor. Best served with a crunchy green salad, crusty bread, and a nice red wine.
Oh great, it's not even 9 am and I already want to dig into the leftovers...
Yummm! I am sooo making this. Obvioulsy, Charlie has good taste in food. :o)
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of red wine does Charlie prefer? :) I hope he had a great first day of middle school. ~Beth
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I often eat leftovers for breakfast. I need something hearty to start out the day. None of this cereal stuff. Just the way I am. I hope you 'dug into it'.
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