Fire Cracker - Italian Sausage Pasta

Italian Sausage - Photo: Flickr

You will find that this recipe is very easy to make. And you can prep all of your ingredients in advance. Perfect for the busy mom on the go. Once you have all your troops ready for dinner, you can toss it all together in a matter of minutes.

This is a recipe that is a huge hit with my entire family. Even my picky toddlers!

Fire Cracker Italian Sausage Pasta Recipe

1 pound uncooked wheat pasta (be sure to use a fun shape)

1 large zucchini - sliced

1/2 cup red onion - sliced

3 T fresh garlic - chopped

1/2 cup olive oil

3 Italian sausage links - sliced

1/2 cup frozen peas

1/4 cup fresh basil

1/4 cup green onions

Salt and Pepper

Preparation

Pasta:

Cook pasta according to the package. Drain. Set aside.

Italian Sausage:

Cook Italian Sausage until done. Set aside until it is cool enough to touch. Slice into bite-size pieces.

Herbs & Vegetables:

Zucchini - wash, slice into bite-size pieces

Red Onion - peal, slice

Fresh Garlic - peal, chop

Frozen Peas - soak in warm water until no longer frozen, drain, set aside

Fresh Basil - wash, chiffonade (see tip below)

Green Onions - wash, slice into small pieces

Instructions: 

Heat a pan large enough for all of the above ingredients. I tend to use the stockpot I boiled my pasta in. Throw in 2 T. olive oil, zucchini, red onions, garlic, and Italian sausage. Sauté until zucchini is tender.

Once tender, toss in all of your herbs and vegetables, and the remaining olive oil.

Add salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

Tips from Chef Bek:

White pasta can be substituted for wheat.

Dried basil can be substituted for fresh. (when using fresh herbs in a recipe, use 3 times as much as you would use of a dried herb)

Chicken broth can be substituted for the oil which goes into the pasta once tossed.

Cooking spray can be substituted for the oil you sauté your vegetables with.

Turkey sausage is a great substitute for pork Italian sausage.

Basil Tip: Chiffonade - To slice an herb or leafy vegetable into thin strands. Best way to accomplish is by stacking herb directly on top of each other, then rolling the leaves and slicing.

Bek Davis is a trained chef and a work at home mom. You can find more recipes, cooking tips, and mom resources on her highly recommended website: http://modernmom.info.