Spicy Pasta with Peppers and Sausage

This is another great “what do you have in your fridge?” recipe. We were almost home the other night when Neil asked “what should we have for dinner?” We had pasta. We had peppers. We had turkey sausage. Add diced tomatoes, garlic, a little seasoning and some red wine and vinaigrette and we were eating in less than 30 minutes. It proves yet again that you can make simple, healthy meals without skipping a beat or agonizing over complicated recipes or ingredients. What’s even better, the peppers are from our garden!

Ingredients:

8 ounces whole wheat rotini
2 tbsp. olive oil
2–3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette
1 15 oz. can crushed tomatoes (no salt added)
1 cup sweet peppers, roughly chopped (see note)
4 links turkey sausage, sliced into rounds
3 tbsp. parsley, finely chopped
3 tbsp. basil, finely chopped
3 tbsp. red pepper flakes
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions:

1. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, then add the olive oil. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute. Lower the heat to medium.

2. Add the wine and boil for 2–3 minutes to allow the alcohol to boil off. Add the tomatoes, peppers, sausages, parsley, and basil. Add vinaigrette and stir. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as necessary. Lower the heat and adjust so that the sauce will barely simmer. Simmer for approximately 15-20 minutes.

3. In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (approximately 10 minutes before you plan on eating). Add the sauce to the pasta and stir, garnishing with more parsley and pepper.

Makes 4 servings.