“The Best Pasta Ever!”

October 25, 2016 4 Comments

Category: Dinner, Healthy Eating
Tags: Easy meals, Gluten Free Pasta, Healthy Eating, Healthy Meals, Meals under 30 minutes, Pesto Veggie Pasta, Week night meal

In the words of my husband, “Holy $hit! That’s the best pasta ever!” And I have to admit, I agree. It was pretty damn good AND it was a healthy, gluten-free veggie pasta too. Who knew that was even possible?! 

You all know that it’s a rarity for me to eat carbs but we are all human, and sometimes you need to get your fix. But when I do, I aim to eat the pasta that fits best with my dietary needs and is gluten free.

A good friend of mine introduced me to Barilla Gluten-Free pasta and it’s been a game changer ever since. First of all, I can’t even taste the difference with it being gluten free (and clearly neither can my husband!!) and it comes in so many varieties – like penne, elbow or even fettuccine – so you can use it for all types of dishes. I’m hooked and it’s now my go-to when I decide I need a pasta fix.

This pasta was so incredibly flavorful and it’s packed with veggies.I also love adding in the spicy turkey sausage – which is a much healthier alternative to regular sausage. It not only adds a bit of a kick but makes the dish feel more hearty too with protein, in addition to all the vegetables.

I will admit, this dish does take a bit of multi-tasking but that also means it can be cooked in 20 min – easy!

“Best Pasta Ever”

AKA Spicy Turkey Sausage & Pesto Veggie Pasta (that’s a mouthful, huh?)

Ingredients:

• 1 box of Barilla Gluten-Free (I chose Penne but you can use whichever type you like)
• Bunch of asparagus
• 1 cup of sun-dried tomatoes
• 1 pound of spicy turkey sausage (de-cased)
• I case of pesto (you can make your own but I was tight on time)
• 1 tbsp chili flakes
• 1 tbsp garlic
• Few pieces of basil

Directions:

• Add a few quartz of water to pot with touch of salt and bring to a boil
• Heat oven to 375 degrees
• Chop asparagus into 3 inch pieces and discard the bottoms. Add a drizzle of olive oil and coat all over. Add to baking pan.
• Chop sun-dried tomatoes into pieces and set aside
• Add pasta to water once it has boiled. Cook for 6 min (it’s cooks further once you add in vegetables so you don’t want it to be overdone)
• While pasta is cooking, add asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes to the oven for 10 min
• In a sauté pan, heat oil and garlic. Once hot, add spicy turkey sausage and turn until its fully cooked. Add in two tablespoons of pesto and mix well.
• Once pasta is cooked, strain and add it back to the pot on low heat. Then, add in asparagus, sun-dried tomatoes, and remaining pesto from container. Mix together and add in turkey sausage and chili flakes.
• Serve with Parmesan cheese and basil on top

A healthy eating series focusing on simple, low carb/sugar dishes in 30 minutes or less. For more info on how MS affects my eating habits, click here.