Put aside that jar of ho-hum red sauce and the heavy alfredo. This is cheesy, fresh and elegant. And you have a choice of vegetables you can use. But still, go for fresh asparagus if you can.
Ingredients:
4 servings cooked pasta (I used penne pasta made with brown rice)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and minced
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3/4 cup browned and crumbled Italian sausage
3/4 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
4 oz. jar/can roasted artichoke hearts
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 1-inch pieces (asparagus is the preferred veggie, but you need *some* green vegetable in this recipe - you can replace asparagus with chopped broccolini, hericot verts, or zucchini spirals).
For the sauce:
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup chicken stock
5 oz. goat cheese
Salt
Pepper
Red pepper flakes
1 Tablespoon butter
Parmesan cheese (to top before serving)
Preparation:
- Cook your pasta, drain and set aside.
- Cook your sausage in a skillet -- drain and crumble.
- Mince, slice and chop the ingredients as stated above.
Cooking & Serving:
- Heat oil, on medium-high, in a skillet -- and add minced garlic and shallot until golden brown (about 4 minutes). Add tomatoes and saute until they begin to soften. Add asparagus and saute about 3 more minutes. Add sausage and artichokes.
- Pour white wine and chicken stock into skillet and simmer until it reduces to about half (4-5 minutes), stirring occasionally. Add goat cheese and stir until melted. Add salt, pepper and red pepper to taste. Start with 1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flakes and taste/add until desired heat is achieved.
- Add 1 Tablespoon of butter to the sauce. Then add cooked pasta and mix. Let heat through, 2-3 minutes.
- Spoon onto plates and top with grated Parmesan cheese. The green-topped shaker of cheese works just fine, but for something a little more special, buy a small block of Parmesan and grate it fresh.
A Little Backstory:
Do you know hard it is to find a good guy to date when you're in your 40s? No, seriously. A good guy. One who opens your car door and cares what your dog thinks. One who texts you every day to say good morning and ask what your day holds. One who repeats back the tiny detail in a story you told last week because he was listening. One who makes you coffee, sharpens your mincing knife and loads your dishwasher. One who -- god help him -- will actually listen to an hour-long interview of you because he wants to understand what you do. You trip across that guy, don't you dare dump a jar of marinara into a pot of mushy noodles and call it dinner. Holy hell, lucky you -- go find fresh asparagus and grate some real Parmesan.
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