Whole Wheat Pasta with Sausage Sauce
I swear I'm supposed to be Italian. As hard as I try, however, I can't seem to trace my roots to anything Italian. I've been to Italy, and I know it does in fact have the best food. And I know without a shadow of a doubt that I could eat pasta every day of my life. Unfortunately that pasta goes over my lips and straight to my hips. Thus, I eat whole-wheat pasta. All whole-wheat pastas are not made equal - some are much gummier than others, especially if you want it al dente. And, since you already know I'm not a food snob, I'll tell you that the best whole-wheat pasta I've found is Food Lion brand.
Okay. So this isn't exactly the most healthful sauce in the world, but it was easy and it was good. I was concerned that Brad might not care for it, but boy was I wrong! He loved it, and in fact he ate all of the leftovers. We're not big leftover people, and I try to cook in a way that there aren't ever many leftovers to be had, but with pasta and sauces that's hard to do. Luckily, that wasn't a problem with this recipe. It's definitely a keeper!
Whole Wheat Pasta with Sausage Sauce
Adapted from Southern Living
Makes six servings
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Ingredients
1 19-ounce package Italian sausage
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
1 large sweet onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14-ounce jar spaghetti sauce
1 8-ounce container cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup dried tomatoes, cut into thin strips
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 16-ounce package farfalle pasta
Directions
1. In a medium pan over medium-high heat, brown sausage, pepper, onion and garlic. Cook until sausage crumbles and vegetables are tender.
2. Stir in spaghetti sauce, cream cheese, dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning and vinegar. Cook until cheese melts and sauce is heated through, stirring occasionally.
3. Cook pasta until al dente, and spoon sauce over hot pasta.