Some of my absolute favorite pasta dishes are ones without a sauce per se, where the combination of good quality olive oil, fresh garlic & a handful of other ingredients are all that is required for an outstanding meal.
It is also a perfect dish to throw together in about 30 minutes when a good movie, curled up on a couch, awaits. A chilled glass of wine & good company are the only other required accompaniments.
This one comes together once again from my store-house of inspiration - no, not my mind - the refrigerator actually. And like so many of home-style Italian dishes, it uses what's readily available at hand which in my case, is some fresh arugula (that I'm afraid was heading towards doom), half a jar of artichokes, a handful of black olives and of course some precooked variety of gourmet chicken sausages.
And since tonight's showing in our living room is a rerun of Sabrina - yes the one with the Oh! so gorgeous Harrison Ford & ever beautiful Julia Ormond, there is no way I'm spending any more than 30 minutes in the kitchen from start to finish!
Gather the ingredients - whole wheat or regular penne pasta, precooked gourmet chicken sausages (such as aidells with artichokes or sun dried tomatoes, basil etc), fresh garlic, fresh arugula leaves, red pepper chilli flakes, pitted black or kalamata olives, a jar of artichoke hearts, good quality olive oil and freshly grated pecorino-romano or aged parmesan cheese.
- Pasta - Cook according to directions on the package. Sieve and set aside.
- Chicken Sausage - Slice at a diagonal into 1/4" thick slices.
- Olives - Remove from liquid. Halve and set aside
- Artichoke hearts - Remove from liquid, quarter and set aside.
- Garlic - Peel, discard skin, finely chop and set aside.
- Arugula - Rinse and dry if not already pre-washed and set aside.
- Cheese - Freshly grate & set aside.
- Good to know - Begin these steps only once the pasta is cooked al dente and draining in a sieve.
- In a saute pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat for a minute or so till very hot. Add the chopped garlic and as soon as it begins changing color, add the sausage. Saute the sausage for about a minute till shows signs of curling on the edges.
- Add the red pepper flakes, artichokes and olives. Saute for about a minute till combined.
- Add the cooked pasta and stir till combined. Add salt and continue to saute for about 2 minutes till the flavored olive oil thoroughly coats the pasta. Add the fresh arugula & stir for a minute till the leaves wilt.
- Add the grated cheese and stir till combined. Taste and adjust salt.
- Serve immediately with more grated cheese on top.
Delicious comfort food at its best.
The garlic flavored olive oil, the slight heat from the red pepper flakes & the cheese coat the pasta infusing each bite with flavor. The artichokes, sausage, olives and arugula punctuate the dish depending on what ends up on your fork.
The peppery arugula is a delight and is sure to make a recurring appearance in my dishes and not just the salads.
We washed this down with a glass of chilled Sauvignon Semillon.
Recipe for
Whole Wheat Penne Pasta tossed with Chicken Sausage, Artichokes & Arugula
Preparation time - 10 minutes
Cooking Time - 20 minutes
Serves 4
Shopping list
3/4 lb whole wheat or regular penne pasta
4 links Precooked gourmet chicken sausages (such as Aidells with artichokes or sun dried tomatoes, basil etc)
1/2 cup good quality olive oil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
8 garlic cloves
3/4 cup drained artichoke hearts
20 pitted, black or kalamata olives
2 cups fresh arugula leaves
2 tbs grated pecoricno-romano or aged parmesan cheese
More grated cheese for serving
Preparation -
Pasta - Cook according to directions on the package. Sieve and set aside.
While the pasta is cooking prepare the other ingredients -
Chicken Sausage - Slice at a diagonal into 1/4" thick slices.
Olives - Remove from liquid. Halve and set aside
Artichoke hearts - Remove from liquid, quarter and set aside.
Garlic - Peel, discard skin, finely chop and set aside.
Arugula - Rinse and dry if not already pre-washed and set aside.
Cheese - Freshly grate & set aside.
Cooking Method -
Begin these steps only once the pasta is cooked al dente and draining in a sieve.
In a saute pan, heat the olive oil on medium heat for a minute or so till very hot.
Add the chopped garlic and as soon as it begins changing color, add the sausage.
Saute the sausage for about a minute till shows signs of curling on the edges.
Add the red pepper flakes, artichokes and olives. Saute for about a minute till combined.
Add the cooked pasta and stir till combined. Add salt and continue to saute for about 2 minutes till the flavored olive oil thoroughly coats the pasta.
Add the fresh arugula & stir for a minute till the leaves wilt.
Add the grated cheese and stir till combined. Taste and adjust salt.
Serve immediately with more grated cheese on top.
Enjoy!
