Peasant Pasta

As my Mom said, life has been a little busy. After baby #2 made his debut on April 9th life has been a little crazy. Between family coming to visit, and then traveling to see our brothers graduate High School, I have had no free time. And now summer is in full swing, and I am busy with other things. But life as a family of four has been a new adventure.

Which leads me into this next recipe. Peasant Pasta. A good friend of mine brought over this dish for our family just after I had the baby. And let me tell you, it is GOOD. And not to mention a fairly easy recipe. It comes from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals and it feeds A LOT. I would say 6-8, maybe more if you combine it with a salad and french bread on the side. My husband and I were eating it for like 3 days as leftovers. And even the leftovers are good, which is saying something for me. (I am a very picky leftover eater).

So, go ahead. Give this recipe a try. You will not regret it!

Peasant Pasta
Servings: 6-8
Time: 20 minutes

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan

1/2 pound hot Italian sausage, available in bulk at butcher counter or, 2 links, casings removed

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, available in bulk at butcher counter or, 4 links, casings removed

3 to 4 cloves garlic, chopped, optional

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup frozen green peas

24 leaves fresh basil, torn or thinly sliced

1 pound penne rigate pasta, cooked to al dente

Grated Italian cheese, for passing

Heat a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan. Add sausage meat. Crumble sausage meat as it browns. Add chopped garlic to the pan. When all of the crumbles have browned evenly, deglaze the pan drippings using chicken or vegetable broth. Stir in crushed tomatoes and bring the sauce up to a bubble, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir cream into your sauce, this will blush the color and cut the acidity of the tomatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir peas and basil into your sauce to combine. Toss hot drained penne rigate in pan with the sauce, then transfer pasta to serving bowl.

This was the dish I made for Mother's Day, so satisfying.

And for dessert we had this........

Raspberry Cream Pie

recipe coming soon