Chicken Sausage Sundried Tomato Pasta
Total Time
Prep: 20 min. Cook: 30 min.
Makes
6 servings
Ingredients
12 oz whole wheat or regular spaghetti or penne pasta, cooked al-dente
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
12 oz pre-cooked Italian-style sweet or hot chicken sausage, sliced in ½” rounds
1/2 cup lightly packed sun-dried tomatoes in oil, oil reserved
3 Tbs pine nuts
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 to 2 Tbs seasoned olive oil from sun-dried tomatoes
½ tsp oregano or 1 ½ tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 large bunch fresh basil, sliced
2 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for topping
1/4 cup reserved pasta water
Freshly ground pepper and salt, to taste
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. While waiting for the boil, go to the sausage mixture step below. When the water boils, add some salt and the pasta and cook al-dente. Drain pasta, reserving some pasta water.
Heat 1 Tbs plain extra virgin olive oil in large deep pan on medium-high heat. Add sliced pre-cooked Italian-style sweet or hot chicken sausage. Cook a couple of mins until lightly brown, then stir to brown the other sides. Then add sun-dried tomatoes and pine nuts. Cook for a couple more minutes (stirring occasionally) until pine nuts are light golden color, adding garlic half-way through. Add reserved 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil from sun-dried tomato soaking/jar along with the oregano.
Add cooked drained pasta along with the 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water to the sausage mixture and toss, heating long enough for the water to evaporate and scraping up any bits from the pan bottom. Toss in sliced fresh basil. If desired, serve with additional freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Serves 6.
