Threw together a pasta dinner for Erik tonight. Tried to be a little creative. Here’s what I came up with:
(Adjust portions according to the number of people you are serving. Example: 1 sausage link, 1 cup marinara sauce, a few pieces of zucchini, and about a cup of noodles per person.)
Ingredients:
1 package whole wheat penne pasta noodles.
1 lb package Italian chicken sausage links (they sort of look like bratwurst). Yes, you can find natural and organic versions of this.
1 jar marinara sauce (I used a Classico cabaret marinara sauce tonight, but any marinara sauce will work.)
Mozzarella (Fresh is always best, but in a pinch you can always grate some blocked mozzarella cheese. Worked great tonight!)
1 medium zucchini, sliced paper thin & cut in halves*
1 small clove garlic, minced*
Fresh basil* (I didn’t have any fresh tonight, so I used a touch of dried basil).
*Optional
Pre-heat oven to 400-450.
1. Bring water to a boil.
2. Cut chicken sausage links—small, round/flat pieces.
3. Poor package of pasta into boiling water, add a touch of olive oil and a little salt. (Follow directions on package for cooking time—try not to overcook.)
4. In a large skillet, sautée chicken sausage links (and zucchini) in 1TBSP olive oil (and garlic) until browned. Add marinara sauce. Cover and let simmer for 3-5 minutes.
5. Drain noodles—do not rinse—and pour into an oven safe bowl.
6. Poor marinara sauce mixture over noodles.
7. Spread mozzarella over the top.
8. Sprinkle a little fresh or dried basil on top, if desired.
Bake for 5-10 minutes until mozzarella is just beginning to brown.
Carefully transfer the pasta into serving dishes. (I didn’t want it to be all mixed up before serving it so I did my best to keep the pasta on the bottom & the sauce & mozzarella on top. So much prettier. 🙂 )
Done! What makes this extra delicious is the amount of time it is baked. You may be able to let it bake longer—just watch it careful and adjust your oven temp, if needed.
I served this with a side of fresh bread (warmed in the pre-heated oven while I was cooking the pasta) and olive oil. Erik said it was delic so give it a try!
(c) Stephanie 😉
