creamy sausage and tomato pasta.

The other night I arrived home a bit late for work, feeling rather frantic because the blood sugar levels of my two small children were dropping by the minute and I knew I needed to have dinner ready, and quick.  Now when you find yourself in this predicament, and let’s face it, if you are a mom reading this you are probably there several times a week day, pasta is a great go-to dish.

Also, I’m a big fan of chicken sausage because it’s really versatile, is lower in fat/calories than pork, and is often on sale at Sprouts for $2.99/lb.  I get 2 large sausages and can feed all of us easily.  Yay!  So I threw the sausage on top of pasta with a little onion and garlic, tomatoes and cream (you can also use yogurt), and dinner was on the table in about 15 minutes.

That’s what I’m talking about…

Cookin’ up the sausage.  It’s helpful to break it up with a fork (remove from the casings first).  What are casings anyway?  I don’t think I want to know.

Toss in the tomatoes and a splash of cream or yogurt.

Pair with a side salad or veggie and dinner’s served!  Also, this recipe makes 6 servings so you may have leftovers for lunch tomorrow.  Don’t heat them up around your co-workers, though; they might get jealous.

Creamy Sausage and Tomato Pasta

(serves 6)

What You’ll Need:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup cream or plain yogurt

1 pound pasta (bowtie or spiral would work well)

1/2 cup chopped basil

grated asiago

Instructions

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add sausage and red pepper if using.  Cook until sausage is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.  Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender, about 3 minutes.  Add tomatoes and cream or yogurt.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions and drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.  Return pasta to the same pot and top with sausage, cooking over medium-low heat until pasta is coated in the sauce.  Add reserved pasta water by the 1/4 cup if pasta is dry.  Transfer pasta to a large serving platter and top with basil and grated asiago.

I like to serve on large platters for an especially impressive presentation, especially when we have company.  This recipe makes 6 servings so if you prefer you can plate it before sitting down and keep leftovers for your lunch the next day.  If you plate ahead of time (instead of having everything on the table) you’ll be inclined to eat more (just a little tip…no charge for that one ).

TOTAL:  $6.80 or $1.13 per serving.

Wondering how on earth I arrived at these costs?  Take a look at my shopping guide to show see what I pay for items, per serving, etc.

Nutrition:

469 calories per serving

19 grams of fat (using cream, even less with yogurt)

53 carbs

21 grams protein

4 grams fiber