Turkey Italian Sausage w/ Sweet Peppers over Whole Grain Pasta

So last night was my second foray into the world of whole wheat pastas. The first time Chris and I tried it we were horribly disappointed. The pasta was mushy, definitely tasted like health food, and had the most unbecoming texture you could ever imagine. It was no wonder to me that it had not really caught on. Barilla is here to change all of that. I have finally found a whole grain pasta that actually tastes quite similar to white flour pastas. The secret is Barilla uses 51% whole grains, that way taste and texture are not sacrificed. This pasta packs 3X the amount of fiber vs. the white flour variety and still delivers all the benefits of eating whole grains. It has also won the 2008 Best Taste Award. So if you're thinking of going whole grain, I highly suggest this pasta. Just buy one box and see how it goes. Also bear in mind serving sizes. This is where a lot of people get tripped up and end up consuming way more calories then they think. One serving of pasta is 2 oz. dry. 2 oz of dry pasta is roughly the diameter of a nickel. 2 oz. of cooked pasta is about the size of your fist, or a tennis ball. Now lets get to what you really came here for. :) The recipe. I promised I would create recipes that the average person could find in their cupboard and fridge and make themselves without fancy gadgets or expensive elusive ingredients. I hope this recipe upholds that promise.

You Will Need:

1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce. (honestly I just buy the Wal-Mart stuff. I love the Italian Garden Combination sauce, told you I'm on a budget too.)

1 Package of Foster Farms Turkey Italian Sausage or the Turkey Sweet Italian Sausage

1 box of Barilla Whole Grain pasta (I used the thin spaghetti)

1 red bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

1 c. or 1 small can 6.5 oz. sliced mushrooms

1 medium sized onion

1 medium sized zucchini (I didn't have one on hand but would definitely have added it if I did)

3-4 cloves of garlic or 1 Tbsp. of already chopped garlic

First take your turkey sausage and boil it some water until fully cooked. You don't want to just cut into the links. They are extremely soft and fragile and will break up if you do. I also find boiling the links helps filter out excess grease. If you don't want to do that you can grill the links or cook on the stove top. While the sausages are cooking chop up your veggies into the desired size. Mince your garlic. Set aside in a bowl. When the sausages are done remove them from the water and transfer to a cutting board. Cut each sausage link into 7-8 biased slices. (cut at an angle) One sausage link is 1 serving. Keep this in mind when you are dishing up. The pasta serves 7 so you may want to only take 6-7 pieces of sausage per person. That way everyone gets some. Put a large pot of water to boil for your pasta, add a dash of olive oil and salt to the water. I just washed out the pot I used to cook the sausages and reused it, less dishes that way. Next take a deep skillet and saute your veggies, and garlic in about 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Cook the veggies until the peppers start to become soft and the onions are translucent. Add your pasta sauce and the cut up turkey sausage. Turn to low, cover, and let simmer. When the water for your pasta starts boiling add the pasta and cook to desired firmness. Enjoy. Serve with a salad to make a complete healthy meal.

Serves 7

Thanks for reading,
Stephanie

If you try the recipe tell me what you think. :)