“Since hunger is the most primitive and permanent of human wants, men always want to eat, but since their wish not to be a mere animal is also profound, they have always attended with special care to the manners which conceal the fact that at the table we are animals feeding.” - John Erskine

13 August 2014

One Pot Cheesy Pasta and Sausage

More summer family cooking fun.  This recipe is TOTALLY kid friendly, and so quick and easy … and yummy!  Of course, we’re big pasta fans, so this was a no-brainer for us.  But who can beat a dinner where you just dump everything into one pan and you’re done?  The only real work was to slice the sausage and pull the fresh basil leaves off my kitchen plant.  If you don’t have a basil plant in your kitchen, you can usually find a package of fresh basil in the produce area in Wal-Mart.  (You can even pick up a live plant in Wal-Mart.  Just keep it in a sunny place, and water it from the bottom when the soil begins to look dry.)  You can even buy cute little frozen packs.  In a pinch, you can even resort to about 3 tablespoons dried without changing the flavor too much.  But however you get your basil, you definitely need to try this recipe! 
One Pot Cheesy Pasta and Sausage
serves 6-8
found here

3 cups halved grape tomatoes, divided (I quartered Romas) 
1 large onion, sliced
1 pound smoked Italian sausage links, precooked and sliced into coins (to make this healthier, try these) 
20-30 basil leaves, divided
4 garlic cloves, sliced (I use this) 
1 pound dry linguine
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
4½ cups water
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese (my go-to“parmesan”)

Reserve (set aside) 1 cup halved tomatoes, 10 basil leaves and cheese.  (I skipped this part and just added everything to the pot.)

Combine remaining ingredients in a large (12”) braising pan or dutch oven over medium high heat.  Cover and bring to a boil.  Once water is boiling, remove cover and cook 7-9 minutes until pasta is al dente.  Toss pasta with tongs occasionally to keep it from sticking.  Liquid will be mostly absorbed when pasta is cooked.

Add cheese and toss to combine.  Cheese may clump but will melt into the sauce after a few minutes.  Toss in remaining tomatoes and basil before serving.

No comments:

Post a Comment