Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Penne with Sausage & Escarole

Blogging breaks are necessary but then I get to a point, usually after 5 days, when I feel disconnected from the people who have become a part of my life. So, here I am, I've missed you. And I bring you this dish I made recently which I found in the Today's Show recipe book, a gift for my  birthday in October.

I loved this dish! The ingredients just work so well together. The original recipe called for broccoli rabe which is slightly bitter. I opted for escarole since it pairs beautifully with sausage in a popular Italian soup. It was perfect so I'm sticking with it!!!!!



PENNE WITH SAUSAGE & ESCAROLE

{Printable Recipe Here}

1 lb hot or sweet Italian sausage links
1 tblsp olive oil
8 oz Escarole, chopped (about 6 cups)
1 large leek, cut into ¼” slices (about ½ cup)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2/3 cup chicken broth
½ cup purchased roasted red sweet peppers, drained & cut into strips
6 oz dried penne pasta
¼ cup snipped fresh basil
½ tsp pepper
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Fill a skillet with ½” water. Bring to boiling. Add sausage. Cook covered for 15 minutes. Drain. Remove to a cutting board & cut into ½” slices. Return slices to a skillet & cook in oil for 2-3 minutes or until brown. Set aside.


Add escarole, leek & garlic to skillet. Cook, stirring until escarole is wilted & leek is tender.


Stir in sausage, broth & peppers. Bring to boiling. Reduce heat. Cover & simmer gently for 2-3 minutes until escarole is crisp tender.



Meanwhile cook pasta. Add cooked pasta, basil & black pepper to sausage mixture. Toss gently to combine.


Top with parmesan cheese. Serve additional parmesan cheese at table.


A little tip on parmesan: Fresh is best!!!!!!!!!!! I highly recommend buying a fresh block & shredding/grating as you need it. It lasts for a while & is perfect for pasta dishes that require only just a few but very fresh ingredients.

Since I find it to be such a pain to grate on the smallest hole (not shown above) I grate on the hole you see above, then I just do a rough chop to get it just a bit smaller that what you see.


{Food for Thought}

The recipe didn't mention taking the casing off the sausage but I did anyway. After it boils & you remove it to a cutting board, let it rest for a few minutes. Then just take a knife & make a slit the long way, removing the casing like a jacket with your hands. Since the sausage & escarole are perfect together I wouldn't recommend substituting chicken but if you're not a meat eater I think turkey sausage would be fine too.


 { Deliciously Linking to Friday Food with MomTrends }

36 comments:

The Mommyologist said...

This looks delish!!

Scary Mommy said...

That looks so fresh and delicious! Happy Anniversary to you both. :)

Anonymous said...

Yum!! my kind 0f food.. a must try

FROGGITY! said...

well happy anniversary! that looks delish! :)

Chef E said...

Between you, and two other blogs, and some luck I have penne and will be making a triage of recipes, because you guys are making me hungry! I like your sausage addition and that happened to jump in the basket as well!

Kristina P. said...

Once again, delicious!

Annie @ astonesthrowfrominsanity said...

Ummmm . . . Yum!?!? I can't wait to make this!

Jen said...

This would be perfect for my family!!! Yum!

Claremont First Ward said...

Happy Anniversary. Sounds like Terry did well in his gift to you. :)

Kacey said...

This dish is so pretty & colorful too!

Unknown said...

is it bad that i don't know what escarole is? would spinach work?

also...regarding grated parmesan cheese: pampered chef (i am NOT a salesperson) has an awesome cheese grater that is perfect for hard cheeses! it's just like the one they use at olive garden and i'm pretty sure it's under $20. just fyi...

Maria said...

We love pasta at our place!

Two Peas and Their Pod moved to WordPress, please update your readers, etc. Our address is: http://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com Come visit us and check out our new look! Thanks for following us!

tiarastantrums said...

this is something I would eat right up!

SnoWhite said...

what an exquisite anniversary dinner!

Coco said...

Looks heavenly.

Happy anniversary!!!!

Pam said...

We all need breaks sometime - I'll be taking one soon. :)

The pasta looks delicious and so flavorful. Happy anniversary.

Simple Daisy said...

Ooh...My hubby would love this!! I don't think I spend enough time making him yummy dinners:)

Simple Daisy said...

Ooh...My hubby would love this!! I don't think I spend enough time making him yummy dinners:)

Jaysi said...

MMMMMMmmmmmm....that looks super tasty.

Tam said...

O H Y E A H.....I like this recipe without even trying it!!!

Meals by Misty said...

Happy Anniversary! Its funny how on the weekends or on special occasions my husband wants to have a "special" date night. I think he thinks I will want to go to a nice restaurant, but we usually end up staying home, having a sweet night at home. Your pasta dish looks tasty!

Brenda said...

Looks pretty healthy too, I think we would enjoy this.

Angela said...

It looks and sounds wonderful steph! Great photos! I miss you! We have got to get caught up SOON! Lol!

Jessica Nunemaker said...

Oooh! Look at all the pretty colors! That looks really good.

Thanks for sharing!

Tabitha Blue said...

Looks oh so good!! I'm a huge pasta fan!! Give me a good pasta any day, and I'll be happy... this looks like it would top my list!! :)

BonBon Rose Girls Kristin said...

Happy Anniversary! That parmesan cheese is killing me. What a fabulous looking dish!

The Blonde Duck said...

I would be excited too! Happy anniversary!

Kerstin said...

Happy anniversary!! Looks like a super tasty pasta!

Unknown said...

Happy anniversary. Great idea using escarole rather than broccoli raabe. I haven't been able to eat it since the first time I tried it, it tasted like mustard mixed with wasabi. Bad stuff. I agree with you wholeheartedly on the fresh parm. I can't eat the bottled stuff anymore after grating my own.

Unknown said...

Ha Ha Ha! His own category on the blog. Now that is a good present! Even better than a tennis bracelet! This sounds so good! Happy anniversary. Happy cooking!

Jenna said...

Looks delicious!

Just wanted to let you know I am hosting a Holiday Treats week this week and will be posting a new recipe everyday, hope you stop by to check it out and maybe link up some of your holiday treats.

The Blonde Duck said...

I hope you had a good weekend!

BeautifulDisaster311 said...

Just dropping by to say hello; it's been awhile! Hope you're doing well!
:-)

Tam said...

I love Escarole!

Anonymous said...

Your blog keeps getting better and better! Your older articles are not as good as newer ones you have a lot more creativity and originality now keep it up!

Barrie said...

Quite useful piece of writing, thank you for this article.
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