Recipe for whole wheat pasta with chicken sausage and green (or red) slow-roasted tomatoes

Was there life before chicken sausage? I can't remember. Every week when I go to the market, even to the small one in our village, I find more and more varieties of chicken sausage. Fully cooked or ready to cook, spicy or sweet, flavored with sun-dried tomatoes or garlic or apples or basil or buffalo. For this whole wheat pasta with chicken sausage and slow-roasted tomatoes, I used Al Fresco (fully cooked) roasted garlic sausage with onion and herbs, and I built on that flavor profile in the rest of the dish. Use any shape of whole wheat pasta in your pantry, and if you didn't make slow-roasted green tomatoes earlier this week, go ahead and use red ones, or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes from the grocery store. If you take your lunch to school or work, you'll be glad to have leftovers of this dish.

Whole wheat pasta with chicken sausage and green (or red) slow-roasted tomatoes

From the pantry, you'll need: whole wheat pasta, chicken sausage, slow-roasted tomatoes, black olives, white wine, olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, garlic, red pepper flakes.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1 13-oz box whole wheat rotini, penne or other shape pasta
2 tsp olive oil
12 oz cooked chicken sausage, garlic or sweet/hot Italian flavor, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1/4 cup chopped leeks
1 small red bell pepper, roughly chopped
12 slow-roasted green (or red) tomato halves
1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
12 large pitted black olives, cut in half
Pinch of red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

Directions

Bring 6 quarts of water to boil in a stock pot. Cook the pasta according to package directions, stopped one minute before the suggested cook time. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Do not rinse the pasta. Set aside.

In a large, deep sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown on both sides. Add the leeks, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, black olives and red pepper flakes, and sauté for 3 minutes, until the leeks are soft. Pour in the wine, and let it cook down for 1-2 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta to the pan, along with the parsley, black pepper, and half of the parmesan cheese. Cook, stirring, until the ingredients are all incorporated, 1-2 minutes. If it seems too dry, add 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Serve hot or at room temperature, topped with remaining cheese.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Whole wheat penne pasta with sausage, fennel, tomato and olives
Calamari, vegetable and whole wheat orzo salad
Whole wheat orzo with cucumber, mint, feta, olives, and zahtar vinaigrette
Pasta salad with shrimp, feta, basil and slow-roasted tomatoes
Slow-roasted tomato mac and cheese

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Seared mahi in slow-roasted tomato-tarragon broth, from What We're Eating
Roasted Italian sausage soup with garbanzos, lentils, and roasted tomatoes, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Chicken sausage with white beans and sage, from Savour Fare
Maple-glazed apple-chicken sausage bites, from Noble Pig
Chicken sausage hash, from Whipped

Need more creative ideas for using tomatoes all year round? Get 25 Tomatoes, my e-book packed with fantastic recipes, full-color photos and a fun video tutorial. With the FREE Kindle Reading app, delicious tomato recipes will always be just one click away on any computer, tablet or smart phone. Click here to learn more.

Whole wheat pasta with chicken sausage and green (or red) slow-roasted tomatoes

From the pantry, you'll need: whole wheat pasta, chicken sausage, slow-roasted tomatoes, black olives, white wine, olive oil, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, garlic, red pepper flakes.

Serves 6.

Ingredients

1 13-oz box whole wheat rotini, penne or other shape pasta
2 tsp olive oil
12 oz cooked chicken sausage, garlic or sweet/hot Italian flavor, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
1/4 cup chopped leeks
1 small red bell pepper, roughly chopped
12 slow-roasted green (or red) tomato halves
1 large clove garlic, roughly chopped
12 large pitted black olives, cut in half
Pinch of red pepper flakes (or more, to taste)
1 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup roughly chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/4 tsp fresh black pepper
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided

Directions

Bring 6 quarts of water to boil in a stock pot. Cook the pasta according to package directions, stopped one minute before the suggested cook time. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking water. Do not rinse the pasta. Set aside.

In a large, deep sauté pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat, and cook the sausage, stirring occasionally, until lightly brown on both sides. Add the leeks, bell pepper, tomato, garlic, black olives and red pepper flakes, and sauté for 3 minutes, until the leeks are soft. Pour in the wine, and let it cook down for 1-2 minutes.

Add the cooked pasta to the pan, along with the parsley, black pepper, and half of the parmesan cheese. Cook, stirring, until the ingredients are all incorporated, 1-2 minutes. If it seems too dry, add 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Serve hot or at room temperature, topped with remaining cheese.

[Printer-friendly recipe.]

More recipes in The Perfect Pantry:
Whole wheat penne pasta with sausage, fennel, tomato and olives
Calamari, vegetable and whole wheat orzo salad
Whole wheat orzo with cucumber, mint, feta, olives, and zahtar vinaigrette
Pasta salad with shrimp, feta, basil and slow-roasted tomatoes
Slow-roasted tomato mac and cheese

Other recipes that use these pantry ingredients:
Seared mahi in slow-roasted tomato-tarragon broth, from What We're Eating
Roasted Italian sausage soup with garbanzos, lentils, and roasted tomatoes, from Kalyn's Kitchen
Chicken sausage with white beans and sage, from Savour Fare
Maple-glazed apple-chicken sausage bites, from Noble Pig
Chicken sausage hash, from Whipped

Need more creative ideas for using tomatoes all year round? Get 25 Tomatoes, my e-book packed with fantastic recipes, full-color photos and a fun video tutorial. With the FREE Kindle Reading app, delicious tomato recipes will always be just one click away on any computer, tablet or smart phone. Click here to learn more.

Comments

This looks like a great recipe! My boys will love this! Sausage and pasta, what could be better?!

I had chicken andouille sausage this past weekend! Love all the chicken sausages!

This sounds like a great way to use the slow roasted green tomatoes.

Hmmm... I've never tasted chicken sausage before. I'd like to try this recipe. ;-)

Nicole, sausage and pasta just seem to love each other. Throw some slow-roasted green tomatoes into the mix, and it's even better.

Pam, I'm a huge fan of chicken sausage in everything except my jambalaya. For that, I need something a bit less lean.

Kalyn, I did love this dish, and the whole wheat pasta could be Dreamfields instead.

Paz, the chicken sausage in the market now is so flavorful. I'll be you'd like it.

Nice hearty pasta dish - I think my boys would really enjoy this (love the whole wheat pasta).

This looks like a great dish, especially for leftovers. I also prefer the chicken sausage because it's leaner -- and better when eating leftovers ;)

I never met a sausage I didn't like :-)

Jeanette, this is definitely "man food", hearty and healthy.

Julia, the key to making great pasta dishes is to have great leftovers and/or a great pantry. I always have chicken sausage and slow-roasted tomatoes in my pantry.

Carol, that's the spirit!

I should give chicken sausage a try. I usually buy Italian sausages for my recipes. I wonder if the kids will taste a difference. Nice recipe.

That really looks tasty. And very healthy!