Pasta with Red Peppers, Sausage and Olives

Mmmmm.... In this recipe, a short list of flavor-rich ingredients come together to create a quick and easy week-night meal that everyone is bound to enjoy. My husband was pleasantly surprised with the delightful flavor upon his first bite and my girls gobbled up everything but the red peppers (someday they will enjoy that nutrient-rich sweet-peppery flavor!). Serve it with some fresh-cut fruit, a green salad or a steamed green vegetable on the side.  Now that whole wheat pasta is so available at our grocery stores, I don't use white pasta any more at all.   Finally got my husband switched over!  Yay!



I must admit, I have not always been a fan of sausage. My rule has been that.... I don't cook with it, I don't eat it for breakfast, and if I find it on my pizza, I quickly discard it -- offended that it was even there in the first place.

I like rich flavors and spice, so what's my problem? GREASE. I hate that greasy mouth-feel. You know, when your whole mouth gets coated with the stuff, like a messy lubricant, and you can't really enjoy the true flavors that the food has to offer? It makes me feel like a sloppy eater. Not to mention all those saturated fats your consuming.

Lately I have experimented with lean turkey sausage-- it's spicy and flavorful, yet it doesn't have so much grease! Use it choosingly and it can thoroughly boost the flavor of a dish. It has been a hit for me in soups with white beans and swiss chard and... well.... this pasta dish.



Pasta with Red Peppers, Sausage, and Olives
(adapted from Cooking Light)
Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

8 ounces uncooked medium short pasta (use whole wheat)
1 teaspoon olive oil
3 cups (1/4-inch-thick) slices red bell pepper, each cut in half crosswise
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
8 ounces turkey (or chicken) Italian sausage
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup canned white beans, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup (3 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain the pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt; sauté 2 minutes. Remove casings from the sausage. Add sausage, oregano, and garlic to pan; cook 4 minutes or until sausage is done, stirring to crumble sausage. Add pasta, white beans, reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cheese, olives, and black pepper; cook for 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently.
Note: To boost the nutritional profile, add the whole can of beans and use whole wheat pasta. Wilted spinach would also be a good addition.