An Easy Quick Meal with a Side of Sausage (A Favorite Meal)

How often do you actually have time to cook a "real" dinner when you get home from school, work, or whatever you do during the day?  I know by the time I get home, I'm usually starving!  I'm lucky if I can manage to keep my hunger at bay just long enough to make it to the gym (occasionally).
This recipe has saved me many times.  A and I have made it a staple in our quick meal list.  It's delicious and looks beautiful.  When served in a large, shallow serving bowl it can be the center of attention for a special dinner party.  We've served it when we need a presentable dish that is also a crowd-pleaser and it hasn't failed us yet.

Here's the scoop...

Quick?   

Check!  All in all, it takes about 20 minutes (and with helping hands, even faster).

Healthy?  

Check!  I found this recipe in one of my all-time favorite recipe sources: Cooking Light.  One serving has about 389 calories balanced out by a whopping 21.6 grams of protein.

Tasty?

Absolutely!  The additions of pecorino Romano cheese and fresh basil give it a sharp, fresh taste.  I like to use spicy Italian sausage as opposed sweet (which is what the recipe calls for) to give it just enough of a kick to keep you content.

FRESH TOMATO, SAUSAGE, AND PECORINO PASTA

Ingredients:

• 8oz uncooked penne (or “pipes” as I called them as a kid)
• 8oz sweet Italian sausage (I allow approximately 1 sausage per person)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 cup sliced onions (sliced vertically)
• 2 tsp thinly sliced (or minced) garlic (between 2-3 fresh cloves)
• 3 fresh tomatoes, chopped (you can always add more!)
• 2/3 can cut tomatoes, with juice (canned and only if desired)
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 1/3 cup torn FRESH basil leaves
• Pecorino Romano cheese to taste (Parmesan can be substituted, but I recommend the first)

Cooking Directions:

• Cook pasta according to package directions between 9-11 minutes (adding a tsp of olive oil helps to keep the pasta from sticking together) and drain, saving about 1 cup of the pasta water. 
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Remove outer casings from sausage.  (If you don't want to deal with this step, you can thinly slice the sausage too).  Add oil to pan and swirl to coat.
• Add sausage and onion to pan; cook 4-5 minutes until onions begin to become translucent, stirring to crumble sausage.
• Add garlic; cook 2-3 minutes, still stirring.
• Stir in tomatoes; cook another 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat; stir in cooked penne, 2 tsp cheese, salt and pepper to taste.  (Use 1-2 ladles of the pasta water to help the flavors combine and to give it a smoother, sauce taste).
• Sprinkle individual servings or large serving bowl with cheese to taste and add torn, fresh basil leaves (I like to use A LOT of both cheese and basil, enough so the cheese begins to melt atop the pasta and the basil enhances the flavors).

Serve to smiling faces of hungry friends and family and I promise, this dish will not disappoint!

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