By Cody is on day five hundred and ninety-two. Senior year is settling in — the routine of bus, school, Sonic, dinner, homework, sleep is the routine I have been running for three years now. The college applications are open. Mrs. Patterson the guidance counselor has me on a list for OU and OSU and Tulsa, and a private school in Tulsa called the University of Tulsa with a strong creative writing program.
And the recipe Sunday was penne and smoked sausage from Averie Cooks. The recipe is a one-pan Italian. Slice a kielbasa or smoked sausage on the diagonal. Brown in olive oil. Add diced bell pepper and onion, cook until soft. Pour in a jar of marinara (one of the pantry-shelf jars). Add the dry penne and a cup and a half of water. Simmer covered fifteen minutes until the pasta is tender.
The math: a smoked sausage $2.99, a bell pepper, an onion, a pound of penne $0.89, a pint of pantry marinara free, garlic, parmesan. Total: about $5.40 for three dinners.
The technique is the cook-the-pasta-in-the-sauce method — do not pre-boil. The pasta absorbs the broth-and-sauce mixture as it cooks, with the smoked sausage flavor coming through into the noodles.
Mama said, eating, baby, this is the kind of one-pan dinner I am going to miss. She has been saying things like that more often this fall — sentences that quietly point toward me leaving for college in a year. I have been hearing them.
The recipe is below. The trick is the cook-pasta-in-the-sauce method.
Penne and Smoked Sausage
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 12 oz penne pasta
- 1 lb smoked sausage, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook penne according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside, reserving 1/4 cup pasta water.
- Brown the sausage. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced smoked sausage in a single layer and cook 3–4 minutes per side until browned. Transfer to a plate.
- Soften the aromatics. In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium and add diced onion. Cook 4–5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
- Build the sauce. Add diced tomatoes, chicken broth, smoked paprika, and Italian seasoning to the skillet. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook 5 minutes to let the flavors come together.
- Combine. Return the sausage to the skillet. Add the drained penne and toss everything together. If the sauce feels tight, add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until it coats the pasta loosely. Season with salt and pepper.
- Finish and serve. Divide into bowls and top with shredded Parmesan and fresh parsley if using. Serve hot — or let it cool and eat it cold from the container two days later. Both are valid.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 580 | Protein: 26g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 58g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 980mg