As the weekend approaches, I start planning meals to bring to work. I usually like to go with something quick and simple to make – usually some sort of pasta, soup/stew, or some lean protein with brown rice.
Since I’m already going to make a zuppa toscana soup, I figured I’d stick with the Italian theme and make some pasta to go with it. If you like mushrooms, sausage, tomatoes, and pasta, I’m sure you’ll love this recipe!
The recipe says to make everything in a large skillet, but I made mine in a wok instead. When it comes to cooking, sometimes it’s hard to hide my Asian-ness.
You can take a girl out of Asia, but you can’t take the Asian out of her!
I think woks are a very versatile piece of kitchen equipment, and I think every kitchen needs to have one. You can use it for sauteing vegetables, , steaming dumplings, boiling pasta, making omelets… the possibilities are endless.
Back in Taiwan, our family does not own a skillet, a grill pan, any sort of saucepans, a food processor, or an oven (we do, however, have a toaster oven)… everything either gets cooked in a wok or in a pot (and that’s only used when we make soup). In case you’re wondering, most household kitchens in Taiwan don’t have an oven, since many of our traditional cuisines are made on the stove top, not in the oven.
Okay, I’m going off a little off the subject here… this recipe is super easy – prep time and all, it probably only took me about half an hour to make.
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces mini farfalle pasta (they’re the cute little bowtie ones)
- 2 tablespoons of EVOO
- 8 ounces hot turkey sausage, casings removed
- 2 stalks green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, sliced
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups cherry/grape tomatoes, halved
I actually prepped all the ingredients the night before to save on some cooking time
Directions:
- Boil pasta as directed on package. Drain and reserve 1 cup of pasta water.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet (or in my case, a wok) over medium heat. Brown sausage, breaking it up with a spatula/wooden spoon until thoroughly cooked. Take out and place on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb all the grease. Set aside.
- Using the remaining oil in skillet, add the mushrooms, garlic, green onions, 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Saute until mushrooms begin to brown.. Add the grape tomatoes and cook until they are slightly softened. Add the sausage and pasta back into the skillet and toss to mix. If the pasta seems dry, add little bits of the reserved pasta water at a time. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Divide among bowls and top with grated Parmesan cheese if desired. (I omitted this step to make it healthier)
Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Food Network Magazine
