Thursdays Are For Cooking!

| June 3, 2021

Italian Sausage and Penne skillet recipe

Ingredients

  • 2-1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
  • 1 pound Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch pieces (mild, sweet, hot, or spicy – your choice)
  • 1 large onion, halved and sliced
  • 1 medium green pepper, sliced (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed tomatoes, cut up
  • 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes – optional
  • Grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

  • Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the sausage, onion and green pepper in oil over medium heat until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasonings; heat through.
  • Drain pasta; toss with tomato mixture. Sprinkle with cheese if desired.
  • Add the pasta to the skillet, simmer on low heat and keep stirring the mix until you are ready to serve it.

Notes:

Some people like to brown the sausage in the skillet before adding the penne rigate to it, which is fine.

Note: using green peppers is an option, not a have-to. When bell peppers are cooked they lose their sweetness, so I prefer them to be on a plate with other cut-up veggies.

In addition, if you prefer to use a commercial pasta sauce that you like instead of making it in the pan, then do so. Nothing wrong with making the meal more quickly and getting to the table ASAP, right? And you can, if you like, add your own touch with seasonings to the commercial product.

Put some cut veggies like zucchini spears, baby tomatoes, green onions, sliced yellow squash and/or sliced zucchini on a plate, and maybe some canned giardinera in a shallow bowl, add some good, fresh crusty bread and butter and tuck in.

Buon appetito!!!

Category: Cooking

2 Comments
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KoB

Jeff LPH3 will be so very glad to have a fresh copy of this Mi’Lady. I’m sure that the copy he’s been working off is pretty well stained from dripped tomato sauce or splattered with sausage drippings by now. Or maybe, he has made it so much he doesn’t need a hard copy recipe. Imagine his surprise when he sees the fresh list he realizes he’s been leaving a step/ingredient out? Heh heh.

Just a quick heads up (or to piss some folks off); the annual summer gathering for the Gun Bunny Family Reunion Food Orgy has begun. Let the cooking begin. Started off FIRST (ht 2 CW) thing this morning with frying up a 1&1/2 lbs of Applewood Smoked Bacon, 2 lbs of smoked Conecuh Sausage (packed in LA…Lower Alabama), big pot of cheese grits, scrambled eggs, and some catheads coming up. This was just to take some of the edge off and get into the mood for doing some cookin’ for reelz.

The menu items being prepared include, but are not limited to, a 6 pounder beef beast orast, 2 12 pounder porked beast loins, 12 pounder baked ham, 10 pounder stewed yard bird beast for dumplin’s n dressing, assorted cuts of fried yard bird, baked cheesy squash, tater salad, green beans with new taters, cabbages with bacon (Ex’s Recipe), real baked beans (Ed’s recipe using (Beat) Navy Beans, shrimps for snackin’ and puttin’ in grits, mixed greens with a ham hock floating, butter peas, black eye peas, smashed taters w brown gravy, ‘nana puddin’ peach cobbler (fresh from the tree Georgia Peaches), ice cream, home made cookies, strawberry infused Angle Food and Pound Cake (Cool Whip available), Oreo Cookie Surprise, catheaded biscuits, buttermilk cornbread, and fresh baked bread. Not sure what some of the others are bringing.

Y’all come on. We say the Blessing at noon Saturday, they’ll be more than this, plenty to eat, and toting home privileges are authorized. Hey Sky, where’s that DiL…and her Mama n ’em?

gitarcarver

And for those who like to cook under pressure….

1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
1 cup sliced onion
1 cup sliced bell peppers, any color
1 (12 ounce) package Italian-style chicken sausage links, or more to taste, casings removed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (26 ounce) jar marinara sauce
3 cups water
3 cups chopped fresh spinach, or more to taste
10 ounces penne pasta
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 cup shredded Italian cheese blend

Step 1

Turn on a multi-functional pressure cooker (such as Instant Pot®) and select Saute function. Add oil and allow to heat. Add onion and peppers to hot oil; cook until they begin to get tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sausages and cook, breaking them up with a wooden spoon, until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute for 1 to 2 minutes. Add marinara sauce, water, spinach, pasta, basil, and Italian seasoning; mix to combine. Cancel Saute function.

Step 2

Close and lock the lid. Select high pressure according to manufacturer’s instructions; set timer for 5 minutes. Allow 10 to 15 minutes for pressure to build.

Step 3

Release pressure using the natural-release method according to manufacturer’s instructions, 5 minutes. Then release pressure carefully using the quick-release method according to manufacturer’s instructions, about 5 minutes. Unlock and remove the lid. Stir in 1/2 cup shredded Italian cheese until combined. Serve with remaining cheese sprinkled on top.

May I also suggest for another recipe Chicken or Turkey Divan?

I don’t think you’ve covered it here, and I just made a boatload of it. It is served alone, on rice or on noodles.

Its a southern recipe and is tasty.