Spicy Sausage Pasta

Next on our list of warm your belly meals is a Spicy Sausage Pasta found on Kevin and Amanda.  This one I made a while back and let me have a some extra calories with the whipping cream. I did use turkey sausage and whole wheat noodles to make myself not feel so guilty ... lol

1 tbsp olive oil
1 lb smoked sausage (I used Turkey sausage)
1.5 cups diced onion (I used a red onion I had on hand)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 (10 oz) can Ro-Tel tomatoes and green chiles, Mild
1/2 cup heavy cream
8 oz penne pasta (I used whole wheat pasta)
1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, each
1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (I only had Mozzarella on hand)
1/3 cup thinly sliced scallions

1. Add olive oil to an oven-safe skillet over medium high heat until just smoking. Add sausage and onions and cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Add broth, tomatoes, cream, pasta, salt and pepper and stir. Bring to a boil, cover skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until pasta is tender, about 15 minutes.

3. Remove skillet from heat and stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle with scallions. Broil until cheese is melted, spotty brown, and bubbly.

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Creamy Pasta with Sausage (WW 8 Pts)

With the new year in full swing and we're all trying to be more healthier, I share with you a yummy recipe I made a while back.  I love Emily Bites and she posted this Creamy Pasta with Sausage & Mustard Seeds.  I tweaked this a bite for the boys and didn't use the mustard seeds, well that and I didn't want to go searching for them ... lol. This was a big hit with everyone, anytime they can eat pasta they are happy.  I'm also happy when it's lower calorie recipe!  Enjoy and check out her other amazing recipes, she is one of the best for weight watcher recipes!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 lb (16 oz) uncooked wheat or otherwise high fiber pasta shells
• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 ½ lbs hot Italian turkey or chicken sausage, casings removed
• 3 oz fresh baby spinach, chopped (about a half a standard salad bag – feel free to add more if desired)
• ¾ cup dry white wine
• ¾ cup fat free half and half
• 3 tablespoons super grainy mustard (I used Wegmans Dijon Whole Grain Mustard which is basically all seeds, consistency-wise)
• Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup thinly sliced or chopped fresh basil

DIRECTIONS:

1. Cook pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
2. While the water is boiling for step one, place the oil in a large skillet or saute pan and bring over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook for about five minutes or until meat is cooked through, breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon as it cooks. Add the fresh spinach and stir in. Cook for another minute until spinach wilts.
3. Add the wine to the sausage and reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir together, releasing any brown bits from the bottom of the pan and cook for another 5 minutes until the wine is reduced by half. Add the half and half, mustard and crushed red pepper. Stir together and simmer for another 2 minutes.
4. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the reserved pasta and basil until well combined. Serve.

WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS PLUS:8 per serving (P+ calculated using the recipe builder on weightwatchers.com)

NUTRITION INFORMATION:
277 calories, 38 g carbs, 6 g fat, 17 g protein, 5 g fiber (from myfitnesspal.com)

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Don't forget to see the parties I link up to HERE.