Penne Rigate with Spicy Sausage and Zucchini in Tomato Cream Sauce

By VegasBartender

Use cauliflower or roasted peppers if you don't like zucchini.

Deb Wise, Cooking Light

OCTOBER 2012

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked penne rigate pasta
• 6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage, casings removed
• 12 ounces zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inch slices
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• Dash of sugar
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added whole tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• Cooking spray
• 3 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded and divided (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated and divided (about 1/4 cup)

Details

Servings 4
Adapted from myrecipes.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 375°.

2. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; set aside.

3. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage to pan, and sauté for 5 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble. Using a slotted spoon, remove sausage from pan. Wipe drippings from pan with a paper towel. Add zucchini to pan; sauté 3 minutes or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add oregano and next 4 ingredients (through sugar); sauté 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add vinegar; cook for 30 seconds or until the liquid evaporates. Drain tomatoes in a sieve over a bowl, reserving 1 cup tomato liquid. Crush tomatoes with hands, and add to zucchini mixture. Add reserved 1 cup tomato liquid; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat; stir in cream. Add pasta and sausage to tomato mixture; stir to combine.

4. Spoon half of pasta mixture into an 11 x 7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish, or divide half evenly among 4 individual dishes coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle 1 ounce mozzarella and 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano over pasta. Top with remaining pasta mixture; sprinkle evenly with remaining 2 ounces mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake at 375° for 20 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Wine Match: Highlight the acidic tomatoes and tame the spice with a McManis Family Pinot Grigio ($10), or pull out the earthy, meaty sausage and herb flavors with a Campo Viejo Rioja Tempranillo ($10). --Gretchen Roberts