I thought this up earlier today and fell in love with the idea. I had a light antipasto salad of peppers, artichokes and olives leftover that my husband had picked up from the store on a whim and I wanted to make an Italian dish with some different flavors. It turned out FANTASTIC. Will definitely make this one again.
Antipasto Penne and Italian Sausage with Tomato Cream Sauce
4 Mild Italian Sausage links
1/2 c antipasto of your choice
1/4 medium onion, diced
1/2 bell pepper, julienned
1 can mushroom stems and pieces
4 oz. reduced fat cream cheese, melted
1 c. Tomato soup
3 T corn starch
1 pkg. Penne Pasta (I used Tinkyada Gluten Free Penne)
1 T Italian seasoning
1 T minced garlic
Pepper to taste
In a large skillet, brown the sausage, then slice thinly. Throw in diced up antipasto salad, onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms and toss in olive oil, then saute for several minutes until veggies are tender. (I also threw in a tiny bit -maybe a teaspoon- of balsalmic vinegar at this point).
In a separate saucepan, combine cream cheese and Tomato soup, stirring until well blended, then add corn starch to thicken. Sauce should be the consistency of a thick spaghetti sauce when done. Add in garlic, Italian seasoning, and pepper and mix well.
Cook pasta per package directions. Drain. Then add sauce and Italian sausage mix and stir until blended. Top with cheese of your choice (I used an Italian blend of Cheddar, Asiago, and Mozzarella.)
Ratings from the Experts*: 10 from BOTH of us! Yes... I know. Rare that I get a 10 out of the Hubby, but it happened! That's why I felt I had to post this even though I've fallen well behind on blogging duties.
