About the Recipe
This is one of my all-time favorite recipes, based on flavors that I love. It's nutritious and filling, blending a colorful assortment of green and red veggies. The olive oil is a good source of healthy fat, so don't skimp on this, especially if you're using lean sausage or chicken. Because this recipe freezes well, it's great to make in one big batch and have multiple portions for quick weeknight dinners.
Ingredients
500g package of whole wheat pasta such as penne, fusilli or rotini.
1lb uncooked spicy Italian sausage. Chicken or turkey sausage will have less fat than pork sausage. Substitute cubed, cooked chicken breast for sausage if desired.
1 large zucchini, sliced into medallions
1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
6-8 large white mushrooms, sliced
1 small red onion, sliced
1/4 cup of good quality olive oil
1 cup sundried tomatoes, packed in olive oil, drained. If using dried tomatoes, soak for 30 minutes in olive oil first, then drain. Save the olive oil for later use - it will have a nice flavor.
1 handful fresh basil leaves, chopped or ripped
Grated parmesan or asiago to garnish
Hot red pepper flakes, if desired
Preparation
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Slice the zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms, and onion.
Spread the sliced veggies onto 2 metal baking sheets, distributing evenly and not overlapping. (This will allow the veggies to char instead of steam, giving them a wonderful roasted flavor.)
Drizzle olive oil over veggies and toss to coat, season with salt and pepper, and bake at 400 F for 20-25 minutes.
While veggies are baking, cook pasta until al dente in an oversize pot.
While pasta is cooking, add sundried tomatoes and sausage to a pan and stir fry the sausage (or chicken) until cooked through. The sausage typically comes in a casing. Remove the casing before cooking by squeezing the sausage out one end. In the pan, smash the meat to break it up while it's cooking.
Once the veggies are baked, add to the cooked sausage and sundried tomato mixture in the pan and toss together.
To serve, top the pasta with sausage/veggie mixture and add grated cheese, fresh basil and any other garnish, such as hot pepper flakes. I like to add a sprinkle of some nice hickory-smoked salt.
This recipe freezes very well. The pasta and sausage/veggie mixture can be combined into small portions and reheated in a microwave after defrosting. Add grated cheese and basil/seasonings after reheating.