For the marinara sauce (or substitute 2 1/2 to 3 cups store-bought sauce):
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 1/2 cups (180g) diced red onions
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (28-ounce) can (795g) crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon honey or sugar
- 1/4 cup (5g) chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 cup (5g) chopped fresh basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
For the pasta:
- 8 ounces (225g) penne pasta
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound (450g) chicken sausage, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4 to 6 cups (100 to 150g) baby spinach
- 1 1/2 cups (140g) shredded mozzarella cheese
- Chopped parsley, to garnish
Method
Make the marinara sauce (or substitute store-bought sauce):
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large oven-safe sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions are softened and translucent. and, Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add crushed tomatoes and cook until the sauce starts bubbling at a rapid simmer, 1 to 2 minutes.
Reduce heat to low and let the sauce continue slowly simmering for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Mix in honey, parsley, basil and oregano and cook for another minute. Season sauce with salt to your taste. Turn off heat. (Makes 2 1/2 to 3 cups; keeps 4 to 5 days refrigerated or 3 months frozen.)
Cook the pasta:
Bring 2 quarts of water to boil in a pot. Season with a generous pinch of salt. Once the water boils, add pasta and cook for 7 to 9 minutes, depending on how you like your pasta. Drain and run pasta under cold water. Set aside.
Make the sausage and spinach sauce:
Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped sausage and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until the meat is cooked through. and, Add pasta sauce and heat for a minute.so, Add spinach and fold it into the sauce. The spinach should start wilting in 30 seconds.
Bake the pasta:
Add pasta to the pan and stir until combined. Top with mozzarella cheese. Put the skillet in the oven and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned at the edges. For a quicker alternative, skip the oven and just stir the cheese into the pasta until the cheese is melted.
Top the pasta with chopped parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste:
Serve hot.
pasta with chicken and sausage recipe
This chicken sausage pasta is prepared with whole wheat penne and a light, zesty tomato sauce kissed with roasted garlic!
Ingredients:
- 3 heads garlic
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
- Salt
- 4 links spicy Italian chicken sausage, diced into small cubes
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, pressed through garlic press
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup red wine
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 (14.5 ounce) cans organic, diced tomatoes (with juices)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 8 ounces (half a package) uncooked whole wheat penne pasta
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped, divided use
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped, fresh basil leaves
Preparation:
Begin by gathering and prepping all of the ingredients according to the ingredients list above to have them organized and ready for use.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and prepare 3 small squares of foil for garlic heads.
Cut the tops off of the 3 heads of garlic, drizzle each with about 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and sprinkle on a pinch of salt. Wrap each garlic head tightly in a small piece of foil, and roast in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove from oven, unwrap the heads and allow to cool, then squeeze the cloves from the papers and smash lightly with a fork to form a paste; set aside to use in sauce.
In a large, heavy-bottom pan or pot, add 2 tablespoons of the olive oil; once hot, add the diced chicken sausage and cook until golden-brown; then, add the diced onion and sauté for about 2 minutes. Now, add the garlic, the Italian seasoning, the oregano and the pinch of red pepper flakes, and give a stir, allowing to become aromatic.
Once aromatic, add the red wine and deglaze the pan, gently scraping all of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan; then, stir in the tomato paste and allow it to cook for about 30 seconds to 1 minute to cook out the raw flavor.
Add in the diced tomatoes with juices, the reserved roasted garlic paste, a couple of good pinches of salt and the black pepper, and allow the sauce to simmer, slightly covered, for about 20 minutes.
Preparation:
Prepare the penne pasta according to package instructions; then, drain and keep warm.
While penne cooks and sauce simmers, combine the panko breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a small bowl, and use your fingers or a fork to incorporate together. In a small pan set over medium-low heat, add the breadcrumbs and toast, continually stirring, for about 1-2 minutes being careful not to burn the breadcrumbs.
Once the breadcrumbs are golden brown, remove from the pan and add back into the small dish; add the lemon zest, 1 tablespoon of the chopped parsley and the grated parmesan cheese to the breadcrumbs, combine well with your fingers of a fork, then set aside to use as a garnish/topping for pasta.
To finish the sauce, turn heat off and stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of the chopped parsley and 1 tablespoon of the chopped basil; next, add the warm, cooked penne directly into the sauce, and toss to coat. (Alternately, you can spoon the sauce over top of the penne.)
To serve, spoon the chicken sausage pasta into a bowl, and garnish with about 2-3 tablespoons of the breadcrumbs, and a sprinkling of the remaining 2 tablespoons of chopped basil.
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