Fire Cracker Italian Sausage Pasta

Turkey or Chicken Sausage can be substituted for pork. I use whole wheat pasta when making mine.


Ingredients:
1 pound uncooked pasta (be sure to use a fun shape)
1 large zucchini – sliced
1/2 cup red onion – sliced
3 T fresh garlic – chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Italian sausage links – sliced
1/2 cup frozen peas (optional)
1/4 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup green onions
Salt and Pepper

Preparation:
Pasta: Cook pasta according to package. Drain. Set aside.
Italian Sausage: Cook Italian Sausage until done. Set aside until it is cool enough to touch. Slice into bite size pieces.
Herbs & Vegetables:

Zucchini – wash, slice into bit size pieces
Red Onion – peal, slice
Fresh Garlic – peal, chop
Frozen Peas – soak in warm water until no longer frozen, drain, set aside
Fresh Basil – wash, chiffonade (see tip below)
Green Onions – wash, slice into small pieces
Instructions:

Heat a pan large enough for all of the above ingredients. I tend to use the stock pot I boiled my pasta in. Throw in 2 T. olive oil, zucchini, red onions, garlic, and Italian sausage. Saute’ until zucchini is tender.
Once tender, toss in all of your herbs and vegetables, and the remaining olive oil.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
Enjoy!

Tips from Chef Bek:

White pasta can be substituted for wheat.
Dried basil can be substituted for fresh. (when using fresh herbs in a recipe, use 3 times as much as you would use of a dried herb)
Chicken broth can be substituted for the oil which goes into the pasta once tossed.
Cooking spray can be substituted for the oil you saute’ your vegetables with.
Turkey sausage is a great substitute for pork Italian sausage.
Basil Tip: Chiffonade – To slice an herb or leafy vegetable into thin strands. Best way to accomplish is by stacking herb directly on top of each other, then rolling the leaves and slicing.