Balsamic Noodles with Italian Sausage

By Addie

My sister Camille made this for us while we were visiting and I would say the entire trip was worth this 1 meal! It was literally that good! I ate as many of the leftovers, without being rude of course, and I even had a dream about this the other night. Oh my! This is fantastic! I think this goes in my top 5 favorite dinners of all time!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
• 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
• 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1 pkg. mild Italian sausage
• 1 (16 oz) pkg. penne noodles

Preparation

Step 1

Cook sausage and penne noodles according to package directions. I cooked the entire box, but did not use the entire box of penne in this dish. I added some, mixed it with the sauce and then added more as needed. This way there weren't more noodles than sauce!

In a large saucepan combine 3/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette, about 1/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese, 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes (I use tomatoes with diced green chilies), and 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil. Simmer on the stove until almost a boil. Add the cooked sausage and penne and simmer for a few more minutes to blend flavors. Serve with grated mozzarella cheese and French bread.

Variations:
3 red and 2 yellow tomatoes (it does make it a little runnier)-this is the way she made it for us
Cheddar Italian Sausages (the ones that have a little bit of cheddar in the middle)

NOTE: The balsamic vinaigrette is salad dressing, NOT balsamic vinegar! I made this mistake the first time I made it and it was WAY too much balsamic, even for me, who would eat it out of the bottle. Plus, it was black, making it more than unappealing to the eye.