Italian Sausage Pasta Salad Food

ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA SKILLET

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the package directions.
• Mix together the ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Tear the sausage into 1- to 2-inch chunks and place in the skillet. Cook for 60 to 90 seconds, then flip and cook for an additional minute. Add the oregano, crushed red pepper, garlic and onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sausage is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Stir in the broccolini and jarred peppers. Using a ladle, remove 2/3 cup cooking water from the pasta pot and add to the skillet. Cook until the sauce is thickened and the broccolini is softened, about 3 minutes.
• Drain the pasta once cooked.
• Remove the skillet from the heat and stir in the pasta, lemon juice, yellow tomatoes and Parmesan. Dollop on the ricotta mixture; tear the basil leaves into large pieces and sprinkle them over the skillet. Serve the bread alongside the pasta, whole or torn into large chunks.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Sauté sausage in heavy large skillet over medium heat until cooked through, breaking up with spoon, about 6 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to paper towels. Pour off drippings; add oil to same skillet. Add onion and garlic; sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add broccoli, zucchini and wine; sauté until vegetables are just tender, about 4 minutes. Add sausage and tomatoes; toss until heated through, about 2 minutes. Transfer to large bowl. Add pasta, cheese, olives and enough dressing to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

SIMPLE ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medum-sized sauce pan, brown sausage, bell pepper and onion. Make sure vegies are tender.
• Drain off grease.
• Add stewed tomatoes, green onion 1-2 Tbsp of flour (for thickening--I added this to the tomatoes in separate medium-sized bowl and mixed it vigorously with a whisk. Then I added it, along with the green onion to the pan. If you like a thin sauce, don't do this step).
• Bring to a boil over HIGH heat, stirring constantly.
• Reduce to low-med, simmer covered for 15 min and uncovered for 15 min, stirring occasionally.
• Serve over pasta or rice with a nice salad on the side with garlic bread.

MAKE AHEAD ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Cut sausage into 1/2 inch chunks. I large skillet, brown sausage over medium-high heat, in batches and adding oil if necessary. Transfer sausage to a bowl.
• Pour off any fat from pan. Add onions, garlic and red pepper, cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes or until softened. Stir in pasta sauce, tomato sauce, basil, oregano and fennel seeds; bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan. Return sausage and any accumulated juices to pan; cover and simmer for 15 minutes or until sausage is firm throughout.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta for 6 minutes, add spinach;cook for 1 minute. Drain well and return to pot. Add sausage mixture and provolone/mozzarella cheese; stir to combine well.
• Transfer to 2 greased 8-inch square baking dishes or 1 13x9-inch dish. Sprinkle with Asiago/parmesan cheese. Cover dish with greased foil, greased side down.
• To serve: Bake, covered with foil, in in 375 degree F. oven for 30 minutes or for 1 hour if from the refrigerator. This freezes beautifully (thaw in refrigerator before baking).

ITALIAN SAUSAGE ONE-POT PASTA

Steps:

• In 8-inch skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Toast bread crumbs in butter 2 to 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned. Transfer to small bowl; set aside.
• In 5-quart Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add sausage; cook 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink. Using slotted spoon, transfer to bowl; cover and keep warm. Add onions, bell pepper, Italian seasoning and salt to oil and drippings in pan; cook over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes or until softened and starting to brown.
• Stir in broth and tomatoes; heat to boiling. Stir in pasta; return to boiling. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered 18 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked to desired tenderness and sauce is thickened. Stir in sausage. Stir in spinach; continue to stir 30 to 60 seconds or until wilted.
• Remove from heat; top with cheese. Top with basil and toasted bread crumbs.

KIELBASA PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and rinse in cold water. Place pasta in a large bowl; add the sausage, olives and Parmesan cheese. In a small bowl, combine the mayonnaise, vinegar and salad dressing mix. Stir into the pasta mixture. Add croutons and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SPAGHETTI

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Transfer sausage links into the hot pot. Cover with a lid and cook until beautifully browned and just barely cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. You can increase the heat a little if you like, but make sure the oil does not smoke. Turn off the heat and remove sausages to a plate to cool completely.
• While the sausages are cooling, add wine to the same pot over medium-high heat. As it comes up to a simmer, stir the caramelized bits on the bottom of a pan with a spoon or spatula. Simmer until it reduces by about half, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add marinara sauce. Pour water into the jar of pasta sauce, seal, and shake to rinse out the jar. Pour that liquid into the pot and return to a simmer. Reduce heat to low.
• Slice each fully cooled sausage into 4 pieces. Transfer sausage and any accumulated juices into the simmering sauce. Stir and increase heat to just between low and medium-low. Cook at a gentle, steady simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasonings. Skim about 1/2 of the fat from the surface, and continue to cook until reduced and thick, about 30 minutes longer.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until almost tender yet firm to the bite, 10 to 11 minutes. Drain spaghetti and transfer it directly into the pot of hot sauce. Mix until thoroughly combined. Cover with the lid and let sit for 1 minute so the pasta can absorb some of the sauce.
• Evenly divide pasta onto 4 plates and top each serving with 4 pieces sausage. Sprinkle with Parmigiano-Reggiano and parsley.

CREAMY ITALIAN SAUSAGE PASTA

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package direction. In a large skillet, cook sausage in oil and butter over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add red pepper and onion; cook and stir until vegetables are tender and sausage is no longer pink. add wine or broth; cook for 2 minutes. Add the cream, cheese, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. reduce heat; cook over low heat for 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally., Drain pasta. In a large bowl, combine sausage mixture and pasta. Before serving, sprinkle with parsley.