Pasta di Amy

Pasta with Bell Peppers, Sausage in a Creamy Tomato Sauce, originally uploaded by mud pie gourmet.

I am loving this Fall weather. The mornings are a little too cold for me at 5:45 am, but come afternoon the crisp air is great for running around with the kids outside. Life has been a little hectic, so I picked up some shelves from Costco today hoping to do some organizing to make me feel a little more under control. As a general rule my house is clean, but WARNING: Do not go in the Utility room!! I miss "pop ins." No one lives close enough to just pop in. And this cell phone thing? Everyone always calls before they head over. But, I digress.

Here is one of my favorite pastas to make. My good friend Amy (we would do pop ins ALL the time to each other in Cville. Comes from living four little townhomes over, I guess) came up with the recipe when we had our dinner co-op down in Charlottesville. For a church event our husbands even made it for all the women in our church. Okay, so I think my husband was the only one that actually made it, with Amy and others filling in for their husbands. It reminds me of fall because of the colors of the peppers.

Pasta with Bell Peppers, Sausage and Creamy Tomato Sauce

Serves 6

1 T butter
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 pound sliced kielbasa or smoked sausage (I have used turkey sausage--healthier)
2 medium bell peppers (red, orange or yellow)
1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms
2/3 cup dry white wine or 2/3 cup apple juice and 1 T vinegar
2 14 1/2 ounce can diced, peeled tomatoes with juices
1/2 cup whipping cream
6 T chopped Italian parsley
1 1/2 pounds penne or fusilli pasta
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Melt butter with oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until golden brown and tender, about 7 minutes. Add sausage and saute until golden brown about 7 minutes. Add mushrooms and peppers. Add wine to pot and boil until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with juices and simmer 3 minutes. Add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in 4 Tablespoons parsley. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat (Sauce can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate).

Cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, but still firm to bite (about 9-11 minutes). Drain pasta; transfer to large bowl.

Bring sauce to a simmer. Pour sauce over pasta. Add 3/4 cup cheese and toss to coat. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons parsley.

S. is not the biggest fan of mushrooms so we have completely omitted them and this still tastes fabulous. I also usually use whole wheat penne pasta.

Menu:
Penne with Bell Peppers, Sausage and Creamy Tomato Sauce
Italian Salad
Baguette
Profiteroles with Ice Cream and Homemade Fudge Sauce