Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Sausage & Pepper Pasta

We had this for dinner last night. It was so yummy! The leftovers are outstanding as well.

1, 16 oz. box of penne pasta
16 oz. sweet Italian sausage links, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup bottled creamy Caesar salad dressing
2 Tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta and drain it being sure to reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water to thicken sauce. In a LARGE skillet cook sausage over medium heat about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to med./low. Cover and cook until no longer pink (about 15 minutes). Drain sausage on a plate lined with two paper towels. Discard all but 1 Tbsp. of sausage drippings from skillet. Add peppers, onion, seasoning and salt. Cook over medium heat being sure to turn occasionally until just tender. Remove from heat and stir in pasta, dressing, reserved pasta water and sausage. Serve sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.

*Want to lighten this recipe? Whole wheat pasta would be a great substitute as well as light or reduced fat Caesar dressing.