Summer Garden Pasta With Chicken Sausage

Last week of January. The pandemic is still very much ongoing but there is vaccine news that feels real now, specific and advancing, and people at the daycare are talking about it at pickup time with a kind of cautious hope that is different from the desperate hoping we were doing six months ago. My director says we will likely be eligible in the spring as essential childcare workers. I am holding that thought carefully.

I made a pot of red beans and rice this week, something I have been doing more of since the fall. It is one of those dishes that cannot be rushed. The beans have to soak overnight, then go low and slow with the holy trinity of onion, celery, and bell pepper, plus andouille sausage, thyme, bay leaves, and a heavy hand of black pepper. By the time they are done the beans are creamy and the broth has thickened into something almost gravy-like and the whole apartment smells like a restaurant I would want to live in.

I called Gloria while the beans were simmering and she walked me through the last adjustments the way she always does over the phone: add a splash more water, mash a few beans against the side of the pot for extra creaminess, taste it again. I have made this dish probably thirty times but I still call her. She never seems to mind.

James has been reading more since the pandemic started, which Gloria says is the one unexpected gift of all this. He reads thrillers and then complains about the endings to whoever will listen. I am usually willing to listen, so Sunday dinners have started including a book report from James Martin, age seventy-seven, who has opinions about plot holes and takes them personally.

Red beans take hours, and that’s exactly the point — the waiting is part of what the dish gives you. When I want that same slow-cooked, savory satisfaction on a night when I’m shorter on time but still need something that feels like a hug from the kitchen, I turn to this Summer Garden Pasta With Chicken Sausage. It has that same combination of smoky sausage and vegetables coming together into something bigger than the sum of its parts, and it comes together in a single pan the way good comfort food always should.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 25 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

12 oz penne or rotini pasta
1 tbsp olive oil
12 oz chicken sausage links, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium zucchini, diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

Cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water before draining. Set aside.
Brown the sausage. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced chicken sausage and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned on both sides, about 4–5 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Saute the vegetables. In the same skillet, reduce heat to medium. Add onion and bell peppers and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring frequently.
Add tomatoes and zucchini. Stir in cherry tomatoes, zucchini, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and black pepper. Cook until the tomatoes begin to break down and the zucchini is just tender, about 6–7 minutes.
Bring it together. Return sausage to the skillet. Add chicken broth and drained pasta, tossing to combine. If the mixture seems dry, add reserved pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce loosely coats everything.
Finish and serve. Remove from heat. Fold in fresh basil and sprinkle with Parmesan. Taste for seasoning and serve warm directly from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Summer Garden Pasta With Chicken Sausage — The Pot on the Stove That Kept Us Together