Recipe - Fusilli with Chicken Sauage, Mushrooms and Sugar Snap Peas

I like to plan, try new recipes I find, and make what I know.  But some nights I have stuff in the fridge that I know I need to use before I have to throw it away.  These nights I throw them all in a pot together and hope the flavor profiles complement each other.  The nights they don’t, you don’t hear about them lol.  I usually suffer through an unsatisfying meal, and note to never pair certain foods together.  But sometimes they turn out delicious and that is why I share.  Never be afraid of trying new things.  All of the food in your fridge is edible, and you must like it if you bought it, so it’s only a small risk.  What you make might not be a masterpiece, but it will still be edible.  And on some nights, you might turn out to have made a delicious meal that you never knew you could.

For this recipe, it’s a good use of whole grain pasta and chicken sausage.  I was lucky enough to have spinach and feta chicken sausage that I buy at the Williamstown Farm Market, but sweet or spicy chicken sausage will work just fine!  If you don’t like mushrooms or sugar snap peas, pick 2 veggies you do like and use them.  I just think the earthiness of the mushrooms pairs so well with the sausage, and the crunch of the sugar snap peas goes so well with softer textures of the sausage and pasta. 

This meal can be plated to look elegant, so if you are trying to impress, this meal can do it in no time, since it is a very simple dish.  You do not have to be a chef to make this, you just need a skillet and a pot for pasta J

Fusilli with Chicken Sausage, Mushrooms and Sugar Snap Peas

Ingredients:

1 pound chicken sausage

2 cups dry whole wheat pasta (I prefer fusilli with this dish, but any will do)

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (separated)

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

8 oz sugar snap peas

8 oz mushrooms (I used cremini/baby bellas) chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a skillet, remove sausage from casing and cook until browned.  Add pinch of salt and pepper to sausage.  Start boiling water to make the pasta.  Remove sausage from skillet.  Add second tsbp of olive oil and add mushrooms.  Cook about 5 minutes.  Add sugar snap peas and cook 3 more minutes.  Return sausage to skillet.

Once pasta is cooked, drain and add to the skillet.  Mix everything together and cook for another 3 minutes.  Add 2 tbsp olive oil and the ¼ cup of parmesan and stir.

Eat and enjoy J  (pairs really well with a side salad for a hearty meal)

Nutritional Info:

(Serves 4)

Calories – 428

Fat – 23 (all healthy fats, so don’t look scared!)

Carbs – 34

Fiber – 4

Protein - 23