Penne with goat cheese, broccoli rabe and chicken sausage

We are pasta lovers here. I love pasta for it's ease and speed. A fabulous and flavorful meal can be prepared in no time at all. While I adore pasta, I really do get bored of the same old red sauce all the time. My daughter and I had a pasta with broccoli rabe (at Molto in Fairfield, CT) that was fabulous. But it was greasy. I wanted to keep the flavor the same but cut out some of the fat and calories. For starters, I substituted regular sausage for turkey sausage. (Chicken sausage works well too.) I used a minimal amount of olive oil and tossed in a little bit of crumbled goat cheese to create a rich and creamy consistency. The goat cheese ended up complementing the broccoli rabe and the sausage perfectly!

1 box of pasta (any shape) cooked per directions on the box. (I really prefer Barilla)
2 bunches of brocolli rabe, washed and trimmed
2 packages of good quality chicken or turkey sausage. (4 to 5 sausages per package)
1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
2 tbs (eyeballed) of olive oil, plus more for cooking
Sea salt and pepper to taste

Add some non stick spray or olive oil to a large saute pan. Then add sausages, cut into 1/2 inch slices to the pan. Do not add all sausages at once! Cook so that the sausages are well browned on both sides. When done place on a plate lined with paper towel. Repeat until all the sausages are cooked.

Meantime add water to a large pot and bring to a boil. When boiling add pasta to the water and cook per directions on box, approx 9 - 11 minutes.

When the sausages are done add a dash of olive oil to the pan and toss in the broccoli rabe. When broccoli rabe is well cooked, maybe 7 minutes, remove and set aside.

When pasta is done, drain and place back into pan. Into the pan toss 2 tbs of olive oil, the sausages, brocolli rabe and goat cheese. Toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or at room temperature.

This is a great meal to serve on those night when your kids are all over the map between after school sports and extra-curricular activities.

Pasta Salad from the Pantry

I have talked before about the importance of a well-stocked pantry. There are times when time is short and yet you must prepare dinner. Salads are easy and quick, but sometimes the family simply isn't in the mood... It's the end of the summer and we're pretty much all sandwiched out... Pasta is a pretty reliable palate-pleaser in the Entertaining House. I had some hot Italian sausage in the fridge that I needed to use up. But there was not much else... So I took to the pantry and loaded the tins into my arms and ended up making a fabulous, simple and delicious warm pasta salad. Perfect for a coolish night!

Ingredients:

1 can black small, pitted black olives -- I used about 3/4 of the can
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1 small jar of small green pitted olives -- I used about half the jar
1 small jar of sun dried tomatoes, Julienned -- I used about 8
2 Tbs of the sun dried tomato oil
1 Can of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered
Olive oil, a good dose!
1/4 of an onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 package of Italian sausage -- or 4 links -- Chicken sausage is perfect in this as well. (Or cook the entire package and use the remaining half to place on home made pizza another night!)
1 1/2 Tbs Italian seasonings
Sea salt to taste
Crushed red pepper to taste
1 lb of your favorite pasta (I use Barilla)

Directions:

Cook pasta in large saucepan per directions on the package
In a large saute pan cook sausage in batches. As sausage is cooked set aside on a plate lined with paper towels.
When pasta is done and cooked al dente drain and return to pan. Add a touch of olive oil to keep from sticking together. When the sausage has cooked put desired amount into pasta. The rest can be refrigerated for another day.
In the saute pan add 2 to 3 tbs of olive oil and cook garlic until lightly browned. Gently scrape out garlic and add to the pasta pot. Add onions to the saute pan and cook until translucent. Add the olives, chick peas, artichoke hearts, sun dried tomatoes, sun dried tomato oil, crushed red pepper, Italian seasonings, and sea salt. Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes to marry the flavors.
When ready add to the pasta pot. Mix well. Serve immediately or as people are ready to eat. This dish is simple but packed with flavor that lends itself to tasting wonderfully whether hot or warm.