~ Nourishing whole wheat pasta, topped with a super-easy(and healthier!) creamy tomato sauce, accented with turkey sausage and fresh basil. It’s a really fast, yet satisfyingly delicious dinner! ~
This Recipe Is: • Ready in 30 Minutes or Less •
It’s just so sadly ironic, really. The plight of this poor recipe. (Imagine sweetly sorrowful violin music here, and maybe a deep, droopy bassoon.)
“Ironic? But why?” You must be thinking in astonishment. “This recipe looks amazing!” (Well, you’re right about that – it sure is.)
And you’re probably sizing it up now: “A satisfying bed of pasta draped in a lusciously creamy tomato sauce, studded with gorgeous fresh basil and the flavorful kick of Italian sausage! My, oh my!” (Are you actually thinking that to yourself?!?!)
Next you’re glancing at the ingredient list. (Go ahead and take a peek … we’ll wait for you right here …… Ok – are you back? Good.)
So now you’re thinking, “Huh. I just don’t see the irony. It’s great! All that creamy-dreamy-satisfying pasta goodness, yet totally loaded with nutrition!” (Yeah – you’re right again! And notice how the spinach is chopped right up so it pretty much looks just like the basil and even your veggie-averse kiddos won’t worry about it … yep … brilliant!)
Honestly, we’ve been dying to share this recipe with you for more than a year now. No, really! Shelley created it back before we’d even started posting recipes here at THK.
We love it, and we know you’ll love it, too!
It totally passed its battery of THK taste tests with flying colors, and we actually photographed it and had it all ready for you clear back last summer.
On a gorgeously sunny July day, as our kids played with neighborhood friends … we staged and posed this pasta in all its creamy-tomatoey deliciousness, just so we could be ready to share it with you. In fact, after it was photographed, there was a line of kids begging for lunch. They ate all of it.
Seriously.
So Where’s The Irony????
You’re just not seeing a problem, right? No need for sad violin and droopy bassoon?
Well, here’s the thing.
This pasta dinner is so family-pleasingly yummy, and so gosh-darn easy … that it’s awesome pretty much any day (every day!?!?!?) of the year! Any Day! Even busy, busy days!
And that’s where the problem comes in.
Huh?!?!?
That’s the irony, friends! (Cue sappy violin and droopy bassoon …)
We kept bumping it down the line of our jam-crammed editorial schedule!
It didn’t have apples or pumpkin for fall (but no worries, we could post it any day) … bump!
It wasn’t a luscious treat for Sweetest Day or orange-and-black-and-spooktacular for Halloween (but we really could post it just any day) … bump again!
It wasn’t a Christmas cookie or a Super Bowl snack or a heart-shaped Valentine treat … bump, bump … bump …
And so this wonderfully perfect-for-any-day recipe just kept waiting, all ready and delicious … just waiting for you!
Now, after the long, agonizing, ironic wait … NOW is the day friends!
Nestled between the Shamrock Shake of St. Paddy’s Day and the upcoming egg-aliciousness of Easter … NOW is the day! (Imagine the violins and bassoons giving way to the fanfare of trumpets and happily trilling flutes …)
This so-good-you-will-make-it-again-and-again-ANY-DAY pasta … has now had its day.
We love it. You’ll love it. It’s easy and healthy and delicious. And it’s perfect any day.
… more trilling fanfare …
Our work here is done.
Creamy Tomato and Sausage Pasta
Nourishing whole wheat pasta is topped with a super-easy (and healthier!) creamy tomato sauce, all accented with savory sausage and fresh basil. It's a really fast, yet satisfyingly delicious dinner!
• Ready in 30 Minutes or Less •
Ingredients
- 12 ounces whole wheat penne pasta
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 10-12 ounces sweet Italian turkey sausage (bulk, or links with casings removed)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (14.5-ounce) can chunky tomato bisque (we use Amy's Organic)
- 2/3 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish, if desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup loosely packed baby spinach, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup loosely packed basil, finely chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain.
- Meanwhile, preheat a nonstick skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add olive oil and then onions, cooking until onions are translucent and beginning to soften (about 3-4 minutes). Add sausage and garlic. Continue cooking until sausage is cooked through, stirring to crumble (about 5 minutes more).
- Add bisque, ricotta, parmesan, salt, and pepper to skillet and cook until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in spinach and basil.
- Serve sauce over warm penne. Alternately, you can toss the pasta right into the skillet with your tomato sauce, stir it together, and serve it homestyle, directly from the skillet.
- Garnish with parmesan, if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 servings Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 190Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 457mgCarbohydrates: 16gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 15g
Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
Ya know? This looks really satisfying. I could really go for this after a hectic day. Great idea with the soup! I think I will look at soup cans differently now. And yeah to you for adding the spinach and basil – both super delicious and nutrient dense. Have a great weekend, ladies!
It really is so, so satisfying – comfort food that’s like a big, healthy hug after a long day! And those soup cans sure have changed a lot in recent years! With a little careful label-reading, you can find truly delicious soups that are full of lovely ingredients and make wonderful bases for all sorts of super-fast recipes … such a great help for busy cooks! Hope you have a great weekend, too, Lori! 😀 ~G&S
WOW you two out did yourselves again – Creamy + Pasta anything and I am in! I love the comment about not transferring the pasta to a serving bowl because I never do 🙂 The less dishes the better on any night! Excited to try out this tomato sauce with ricotta cheese?! (Why have I never thought of that?) 😀 Have an amazing weekend!
Thanks so much, Ceara! You’re so sweet! And yeah – as much as we love the presentation of the beautiful, creamy sauce nestled on top of a bed of perfectly al dente pasta … ummmmmm … in real life, it’s so much easier to just toss the pasta right into the skillet, give it a quick stir and keep right on going … 😀 Ooooohhhhh … and you’re gonna love the ricotta in this – so much decadence without adding too much naughtiness! Yay! 😀 ~G&S
♫♫ She’s crafty, she gets spinach into the pasta. She’s crafty ♫♫ Ok, not my best Beastie Boys impersonation. But I love the pasta! And, I love Amy’s soups, so this has to be great. Besides, a line of kids pretty much proves it’s good! Pinning so I can make it soon. Thanks!
You’re hilarious! Although honestly, I’m not sure if I should be flattered or horrified to have my pasta set to the music of the Beastie Boys!!! 😀 Oh … and … ummmmmm … do you have OTHER Beastie Boys impersonations – as in, SEVERAL?!?! Lol! Regardless – I’m totally with you on loving both pasta and Amy’s soups – bring them both together and you’ve got a truly simple, easy meal that’s for sure great! We all love it, every time! Have an awesome weekend, Debi! ~Shelley
You should hear my Scotty from Star Trek impersonation. Let’s just say that it’s a good thing I can cook and I don’t have to make my living doing impersonations! 🙂 Hee hee! You have an awesome weekend as well!
My, my – you seem to have quite the interesting repertoire! I’m honored our pasta dish rated an impersonation!!! 😀 ~S
What an amazing idea! I love the idea of chopping the spinach and adding it into the sauce. I don’t have kids but I do have a fella who needs the ‘sneaky’ treatment from time to time. 😉 Thanks so much for sharing!
Seriously – we do this all the time! Not necessarily even to be sneaky (although you for sure can be, and no one will be the wiser!) but just because you can pack a whole lotta healthful spinach into a dish (salads … pastas …. whatever) without it really affecting the flavors. And in this case it doesn’t affect the visual impact or the texture of the dish, either, because it’s chopped up to look just like the basil that you’d already be putting in there! Your fella will never know what hit him! 😀 ~G&S
I do that all the time. Have something I’ve made and want to share but it isn’t the right time. A few weeks or moths later I see the pictures and remember…oh, I have that! Awesome! Speaking of awesome this dish is just that. We love pasta! My guys will eat just about anything so long as it is combined with pasta. Love that is healthy 😀
Hey, Cindy! Yeah – we have another recipe we’re posting in a couple of weeks that we photographed clear back last summer, too! And it’s an AWESOME one – we kinda feel like we’ve been holding out on our readers or cheating them a bit because we didn’t get around to posting it sooner! Lol! It’ll be worth the wait, though! 😀 Hope you try this pasta next time you need a super-fast solution (which seems like it’s much of the time, right?!?!) – totally think your crew will love it as much as we do! ~G&S