Creamy Sausage & Tomato Pasta

It’s funny.  Lately I’ve either been making very labor intensive meals (like French Onion Soup) and spending hours in the kitchen, or I’ve been starting to make dinner when I kids start asking for food and whip up a quick 30 minutes or less meal.  Nothing in-between.

Today’s recipes falls under the oh-my-gosh-it’s-5-o’clock-and-I-haven’t-started-dinner kind of days.  It’s fast – the whole meal is done in the time it takes to boil the pasta. It’s easy – boil pasta and open a couple cans.  And it’s kid friendly – yay pasta!  It’s a perfect weeknight or “I’ve been reading Harry Potter all day instead of cooking” type of day!

Recipe Notes:

*I used spicy sausage in this recipe, but if your children (or other family members) are sensitive to spice, use a mild sausage instead.

Creamy Turkey Sausage & Tomato Pasta

Adapted from The Girl Who Ate Everything

1.25 lb Hot Italian Turkey Sausage, casings removed

1 small onion, diced, about 1 cup

4 cloves garlic, minced, about ½ tbsp

1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes, undrained

1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

¼ tsp dried marjoram

¼ tsp dried rosemary

1 cup half and half

13.25 oz whole wheat rotini pasta, cooked al dente

Cook the pasta to al dente in salted water, according to package instructions.

Remove the sausage from the casings.  Brown the sausage, breaking it into small crumbles as it cooks, in a large skillet over medium heat.

Once the sausage is mostly cooked through, add the onions and cook until the onions are tender and the sausage is cooked through, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and sauté for another minute or so.

Pour in the undrained can of tomatoes, tomato sauce, and spices.  Cook for a couple minutes until the sauce is heated through and thickened slightly.  Stir in the half and half and heat through.

Last, stir in the cooked pasta and serve.  Garnish with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil, if desired.

Serves 4-6