018: spinach alfredo pasta with italian sausage

so i had some leftover italian sausage from this recipe, and decided to take a page out of my boyfriend's mother's book and do a spin off a recipe she made. since i usually cook for one, these are the proportions i made for approximately 2-3 servings, though the recipe could feasibly be expanded easily to feed more. cook time was about 20 minutes.




equipment:
12" skillet
spatula (heat proof)
colander


ingredients:
2 italian sausage with spinach and mozzarella (i used something similar to this, though any italian sausage will suffice)
2 c. pasta (i used bowtie)
1 to 1 and 1/2 c. alfredo sauce (i cheated and used store-bought, though you can certainly make your own from scratch)
handful of fresh spinach
water


steps:
1.) heat italian sausage in 1/4" water in your skillet over medium heat.

2.) when your sausage is thoroughly heated, add the pasta to the skillet.

3.) add enough water (room temperature) to the skillet to cover the pasta. keeping the pasta cooking with the sausage adds fantastic flavor to the pasta itself.

4.) when the pasta is cooked (al dente), drain the excess water from the skillet using either the lid of the skillet or a colander.

5.) add the alfredo sauce over the top of the sausage and pasta in the skillet over low heat.

6.) when the sauce is warm, add the spinach and mix it in, just to the point where it starts to get tender. stir it all together and serve hot.



time: 20 minutes cook time
difficulty: 2 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest)
rating: ♦♦♦♦1/2 (4.5 stars out of 5)
suggestions for variation: garlic, crushed red pepper, oregano, and basil to taste. try with mozzarella sprinkled on top?, vary types of sausage used


enjoy!
-kl

017: sundried tomato alfredo pasta with italian sausage

wahoo!!!! it has been many MANY moons since i made something original--going on 5 months now! but today i got back in my kitchen and feel better than i thought possible after creating this new recipe. i hope you enjoy it! prep time was about 5-10 minutes, and cook time is about 15-20. i made this for 2 and we had about a serving of leftovers, but it could reasonably be expanded to serve more. buon appetito!





equipment:
1 12" skillet
spatula (heat proof)
paring knife
2 quart sauce pan


ingredients:
3 T. olive oil
2 italian sausage with spinach and mozzarella (i used something similar to this, though really any italian sausage will do)
1/2 c. sliced red bell pepper
1/2 c. sliced red onion
1 t. minced garlic
1 t. crushed red pepper
1/2 t. oregano
1/2 t. basil
1 and 1/2 cups sundried tomato alfredo sauce (i used this)
1/4 c. sun dried tomatoes (i use the jarred ones in olive oil and herbs)
6 c. water
2 c. pasta (i used radiatore)
2 T. olive oil that the sun dried tomatoes were packed in


steps:
1.) heat 2 full sausages in olive oil in the skillet until warm. cut the full sausages into bite-sized pieces.

2.) while the sausages are cooking, slice your red pepper and red onion. add 1/2 c. of each to the sausage pieces. and garlic, crushed red pepper, oregano, and basil.

3.) begin boiling the water for the pasta. pour in some of the oil and herbs that were in the sun dried tomatoes so that the pasta itself picks up some flavor.

4.) when the water boils, add the pasta and cook according to instructions.

5.) cut your sun-dried tomatoes into bite-sized pieces.

6.) add alfredo over the top of the sausage mixture when onions are translucent. add sun-dried tomato pieces.

7.) drain pasta when it's done. add it to sausage and alfredo mixture and stir it all together.


time: 5-10 minutes prep time, 15-20 minutes cook time
difficulty: 2 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest)
rating: ♦♦♦♦♦ (5 stars out of 5)
suggestions for variation: garlic, crushed red pepper, oregano, and basil to taste. try with mozzarella sprinkled on top?, vary types of sausage used


enjoy!
-kl

006: cranberry pineapple chicken pasta salad

this is an all inclusive dish: fruit, protein, and pasta! and delicious to boot. as usual, i do this on a per serving basis, given that i do most of my cooking for one. for me, this made one dinner and one lunch as leftovers. cook time was about half an hour.



equipment:
3 qt sauce pan
knife
measuring cups and spoons


ingredients:
1 c. pasta (i used rotini)
1/2 t. rosemary
1 T. olive oil
1 chicken breast (1/4 lb.)
1/2 c. chopped pineapple
1/2 c. dried cranberries (craisins)
1/2 c. parmesean or swiss cheese


steps:
1.) cook pasta according to instructions on box. add half (1/4 t.) of the rosemary to the water. when cooked and drained, pour olive oil over top and stir it in to cooked pasta (this is to keep it from sticking). chill.

2.) poach chicken breast, adding the other half (1/4 t.) of the rosemary to the water. when done, cut into bite sized pieces. add to pasta, and chill.

3.) cut pineapple into bite sized pieces. add pineapple, cranberries, and cheese to chicken and pasta when the chicken is cool. serve.


time: 30 minutes
difficulty: 2 (1 being easiest, 5 being hardest)
rating: ♦♦♦◊◊ (3 stars out of 5)
suggestions for variation: add pieces of cooked bacon to the pasta salad. use crushed red pepper instead of rosemary, leave out the craisins, and sprinkle chili powder over the top.



enjoy!
-kl