Dinner Tonight

Last week I was thinking about the Italian dish pizzocheri and I suddenly really wanted some hearty pasta with thinly sliced cabbage. And since I had some Italian sausage I added that, and it was really really tasty. Since pizzocheri is made with buckwheat noodles, I thought I would use Barilla plus spaghetti, and it added a nice richness to the dish. I decided that since it's such a cheap and easy meal, I wanted to make it again this week. This week I used smoked turkey sausage instead, and added carrots an I liked it a whole lot more. Of course it doesn't beat the real deal "pizzocheri" and barely resembles it at all now, but it was a nice new Winter pasta that I plan on making a lot from now on. Oh, but this time I made it with normal pasta and I might actually like it better with the multigrain type. But I don't think I would try whole wheat, much too brittle for this delicate sauce.

My Veggie Sausage Pasta
serves 6~8
1 package turkey smoked sausage (about 14 oz), cut in half lengthwise and cut into 1/2 inch pieces diagonally
3/4 head of cabbage, sliced thin
1-1/2 onions (I used 1/2 spanish onion and 1 red onion), sliced thin
2 meium carrots, peeled and sliced very thin
1 lb multigrain long pasta (I use Barilla Plus spaghetti or thin spaghetti)
6 T heavy cream
3 T olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large pot bring water to a boil. Add salt and cook pasta to al dente, about 7 minutes.
2. Meanwhile in another large pot, heat the oil on medium-high heat until just starting to ripple. Add the sausage and let brown just a little on each side. Add carrots, a slash of pasta water (or white wine or chicken broth) and scrape up browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add cabbage and onions, tossing often. Add 1/2 t salt and place the lid on the pot. Let the cabbage cook down and soften. Check on the vegetables once in a while and toss them to make sure they all get cooked evenly.
3. Once vegetables are tender, add the pasta and heavy cream and toss to coat. Add some salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.