Tuesday Night At Home

Tuesday night I finally get to make a real meal. It is breezy and cool outside and it makes me want warm comfort food. I also wanted something quick and easy since I wanted to go to the gym and to bake strawberry-chocolate cupcakes. I was at the grocery store and realized that TS and I have not had Sausage and Artichoke pasta in a long time.

When got home and told TS that I bought spicy italian sausage and artichokes he started jumping up and down. This is his reaction EVERY time I make this meal. So you know it is a good one. It is SO easy too. I think I have gotten this meal down to where from start to table it takes 20 mins.

Sausage and Artichoke Pasta

1lb spicy Italian Sausage
1 tsp garlic olive oil
1 jar marinated roasted red peppers
2 cans quartered artichoke hearts
1 c. chicken broth
4 oz. mozzarella cheese, cubed
1 c. halved grape tomatoes
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
200g pasta (I prefer rigatoni or bow-tie - oh and I measure all my pasta in grams, so if you get a pasta recipe from me you will always get it in grams)

1. In a LARGE pan heat the garlic olive oil for a few minutes then brown your italian sausage.
2. Meanwhile, start a pot of water to boil for your pasta.
3. Chop the roasted red peppers and set it aside.
4. When the italian sausage is cooked, take it out of the pan and put it in a bowl to the side.
5. Add your chicken broth to the pan the italian sausage was in along with the thyme and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 2-3 mins.
** by now your water should have boiled so cook your pasta for 7 mins**
6. Add your artichoke hearts and chopped red pepper to the chicken broth. Break up the artichoke hearts while in the pan and cook for about 5 mins.
7. Add the italian sausage back to the pan with the artichokes and red pepper and let cook for 5 mins.
** by now your pasta should have cooked, drain add a drizzle of olive oil and let sit until the italian sausage has cooked in with the artichokes/red pepper for 5 mins**
8. Add pasta to italian sausage mixture (are you seeing why you need a LARGE pot?) and let cook for 2-3 mins constantly incorporating the pasta in with the meat mixture
9. Add cheese and tomatoes and mix until cheese is just melting
10. serve.

This recipe makes enough for 4 healthy servings. Since it is only 2 of us, we have leftovers. Yea! It freezes wonderfully so on a night when I am not home or TS is not home, we have a home made meal.

This was the perfect comfort food for tonight served with some crusty bread for dipping in the sauce. Mmm.

Here's to good eating and dreaming about left-overs.

Oh, and I did make the strawberry chocolate cupcakes, went to the gym and wrote 2 blog articles and it is just now 10:10p. Not so bad for someone who got home at 6:15. Go me.