Scrumptious Sundays

Penne Rigate with Spicy Sausage 

and Zucchini in Tomato Cream Sauce

Serves 4, 45 minutes; 12 WW Points Plus

Courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine, October 2012

Ingredients

8 ounces uncooked penne rigate pasta

6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage, casings removed

12 ounces zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices

1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 garlic cloves, minced

Dash of sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes

2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream

Cooking spray

3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided (about 3/4 cup)

1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated and divided (about 1/4 cup)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan, and sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage from pan. Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel. Add zucchini to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add oregano and next 4 ingredients (through sugar); sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add vinegar; cook for 30 seconds or until the liquid evaporates. Drain tomatoes in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1 cup tomato liquid. Crush tomatoes with hands, and add to zucchini mixture. Add reserved 1 cup tomato liquid; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat; stir in cream. Add pasta and sausage to tomato mixture; stir to combine.

4. Spoon half of pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, or divide half evenly among 4 individual dishes coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 ounce mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano over pasta. Top with remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 ounces mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Nutritional Information

Amount per serving

Calories: 450

Fat: 14.1g

Saturated fat: 6.8g

Monounsaturated fat: 3.8g

Polyunsaturated fat: 1.5g

Protein: 26.9g

Carbohydrate: 55.6g

Fiber: 5g

Cholesterol: 60mg

Iron: 5.2mg

Sodium: 508mg

Calcium: 347mg

Scrumptious Sundays

Gnocchi with Yams, Kale & Sausage

One of Jason's favorites, and every time we make it we are reminded what a quick & easy recipe this is.

1 lb potato gnocchi (we buy whole wheat)
2 bunches kale, washed rubs cut out (or use spinach leaves)
1 large yam
1 garlic clove
1 lb spicy chicken or turkey sausage, sliced
EVOO
Kosher salt & black pepper

Preheat oven to lowest setting.  In nonstick pan, saute the gnocchi in olive oil until crisp and golden brown.  Season with salt & pepper.  Place gnocchi in an oven-safe dish (that holds at least 2 quarts) and place in the warmed oven.  Next you can cook the sausage in the same pan you used to cook the gnocchi or grill it on the BBQ (we prefer BBQ, always tastes better).  Slice the sausage and add to gnocchi in oven.  With sausage drippings or a bit more olive oil add the garlic, kale and yams to the pan; season with salt & pepper.  Cook until the yams are tender but not mushy, about 12 minutes (great to do while sausage is on BBQ).  If the pan gets too dry you can add some water to the pan.  Mix into the oven-safe dish with gnocchi and sausage.  Can be served immediately or held for later in the warming oven.  Leftovers can be refrigerated or frozen for another meal (my personal favorite).  Reheating in the oven works better than the microwave.

Yields 6 servings; 8 WW points plus
recipe courtesy of Rebecca Reichardt of Woodland, CA

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PCI Pride

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PCG Video
PCG website