Sun-dried Tomato, Olive, and Asparagus Pasta

Sun-dried tomatoes, olives, asparagus and Italian sausage in a chunky pasta sauce served over whole wheat pasta and topped with parmesan.

Pasta.  I love making my own pasta sauce.  It's actually pretty simple and you can add just about anything you like to it.  I always keep diced tomatoes in my pantry for homemade pasta sauce (they are useful in many other recipes too).  So if I have nothing in the house to eat I can usually throw together some kind of pasta dish.

Diced tomatoes are a useful pantry staple.  [Tweet this]

I love sun-dried tomatoes.  They are super flavorful and have a great chewiness. I'll eat them by themselves, as a spread, in sauces, they are very versatile and enhance any dish to which they're added. When I thought about making a pasta sauce they were a natural choice.

Sundried tomatoes are super flavorful and versatile.  [Tweet this]

Everything else in this pasta was added on a whim,  I knew I wanted a sun-dried tomato pasta sauce, but that was all I planned.  I had some thawed Italian sausage so that seemed like an obvious addition.  The jar of olives was beside the tomatoes so I figured it wouldn't hurt to add some. Then, I didn't feel like cooking the asparagus separately for a side vegetable so in the sauce it went. Everything together made an absolutely delicious, flavorful, and filling meal.  Sometimes the most unplanned concoctions turn out to be the most delicious.

Unplanned concoctions can turn into delicious meals.  [Tweet this]

Sun-dried Tomato, Olive, and Asparagus Pasta

Cook time:  30-45 minutes
Servings:  4-6

Ingredients:

1/2 -3/4-pound spicy Italian sausage
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
15 sundried tomatoes, sliced
10 olives, sliced
1 bunch asparagus cut bite-sized

In a large skillet, over medium-high heat, brown the sausage.  When sausage is mostly cooked, drain away excess grease.

Lower heat to about low to medium-low and add the oil, garlic and shallots.  Cook and stir until just tender and fragrant then add everything but the asparagus.  Cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile cook pasta.

Uncover the skillet and add the asparagus and a little wine or pasta water if needed for more liquid.  Cook until asparagus is tender to your liking (I like my asparagus somewhat crisp but if you like it pretty soft feel free to add it with all of the other ingredients).

Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.

Remove from heat and serve over pasta of your choice.  Makes 4-6 servings.

Top with parmesan if you like.

Enjoy.

For more pasta recipes check out:

Very Veggie Pasta     -	Mushroom Spinach Tomato Pasta	Chicken Parmesan     -
Blue Cheese Alredo	Shrimp Scampi	Clam Linguine

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Blue Cheese Alfredo

Whole wheat pasta tossed in a creamy, cheesy, blue cheese sauce studded with pistachios.

I had some blue cheese dip/dressing in my freezer that I finally got around to thawing.  It was in there longer than it probably should have been but it tasted fine the sour cream just got soupy, not what you want for a dip.  I didn't want to throw it away so I tried to thicken it by adding a pack of cream cheese.  That didn't work to thicken it but it sure tasted great so I decided to transform it into something different.  You could make this with regular blue cheese dip (that hasn't gone soupy) just add more white wine, or pasta water, to thin the sauce to the consistency you prefer.

That is when I decided to make an alfredo sauce from it.  My husband made the suggestion to add some pistachios to the sauce too.  I was very doubtful about his suggestion I thought they would get soggy and gross but he assured me it would be good (he has traveled to Italy and I haven't so I followed his suggestion).  Boy, I'm glad I did they were delicious.  They softened a bit in the sauce, but they were not soggy, and they were delicious adding some extra texture and protein to the meal.  I only used 1/4 cup of pistachios in this recipe but I would recommend more (I apologized to my husband for doubting him).

Blue Cheese Alfredo

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp garlic, minced
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups blue cheese dip
1 8oz pack cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup pistachios
Whole wheat pasta
basil
cracked pepper

In a large saute pan, saute the garlic, in the oil, until soft and fragrant.  Pour in the white wine and reduce by half.

Meanwhile, mix the blue cheese dip and the cream cheese until well blended and then add it to the garlic and wine sauce.  Add the pistachios and let simmer until the sauce thickens to desired consistency.

While the sauce is thickening cook the pasta al dente.  I used whole wheat spaghetti but you could use fettuccine of any pasta of your choice.  Add the drained pasta to the sauce and remove from the heat.  Cover and let sit for a few minutes.  Toss well before serving.

Makes 4 servings.  Garnish with fresh cracked pepper and basil.  Great with broccoli on the side.

Enjoy.

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