Chicken Sausage and Asparagus Pasta

My husband (Mr. Discipline) has been training for for a half Iron Man the past 3 to 6 months.  If you don't know what that is, its a triathlon where you swim for 1.2 miles, bike for 56 miles and then run for 13.1 miles for a total of 70.3 miles.  I know, WHAT??? Now to be honest, I am not sure why people CHOOSE to do this, but never the less MANY people do.  In each race he has competed in there is always close to a 1,000 participants or sometimes much more.

Vineman finish 2011

The training of triathlons is exhausting (and I am not even the one doing it), but I must admit I LOVE race weekend.  It gets my competitive juices flowing (I know I am not the one racing) but I can't help it.  It probably helps that my husband is a stud and in his last race (this past weekend in Santa Cruz's The Big Kahuna) finished 6th in his age group and 28th overall (and that was with a hurt hamstring. Yes, I am a proud wife)!

after the Orangeman 2011

I walk around and feel inspired by the ultra fit people, and for the most part they are, but I always come across a handful of people getting ready for the race and think "really,  you can finish this race?"  And from this I have learned that this sport has a HUGE mental component, enter Mr. Discipline, which I apparently do not have.  But let me tell you I do look forward to the In-n-out and ice cream we enjoy after the race.  I may not train like a triathlete but I like to eat like one :)

Anyways all this to say that I have had to discover some new recipes to feed my triathlete husband.  I came across this one and LOVED it.  Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables and who doesn't like pasta?  Pair the two together and you get nothing but yummy! 

Chicken Sausage and Asparagus Pasta (adapted from The Enchanted Cook)


Ingredients

1 package of a tagliatelle egg pasta, prepared according    to package
1 bunch fresh diced asparagus, the thinner the better
1 handful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes
3 large links spicy chicken sausage, uncooked and removed from the casing
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
salt and pepper to taste
grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

• Heat a large skillet to medium-high and add your chicken sausage.  Break up the sausage (as you would when you brown ground beef) and cook until sausage is fully cooked.
• Add asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes along with salt and pepper to flavor the veggies. Stir for a 2-3 minutes until they soften.
• Add in the marinara sauce and stir until it is heated through.
• When your veggies and sauce are warm add the Greek yogurt and stir until it is creamy.
• Add the cooked pasta and mix together then serve with grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Tip for cutting asparagus:  break 1 asparagus, where it naturally breaks cut the rest of the bunch.

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Chicken Sausage & Brussel Sprouts Pasta

KEEP READING EVEN THOUGH BRUSSEL SPROUTS IS IN THE TITLE!

I can't remember ever trying them when I was little, but for some reason brussel sprouts and lima beans just had that "Taboo" name that caused a gag reflex.  Actually, to be honest, I do remember watching episodes of "Full House" (loved that show growing up) and Dj and Stephanie always made disgusting faces when mentioning those two things.  So, that must have been it! I followed suit and decided to hate them too. It's too bad, if it weren't for that show I probably would have loved them...lol!

But it all changed last winter. I was eating a fabulous restaurant in San Jose, Pizza Antica.  And they were featuring a roasted brussel sprout salad that looked fabulous and was quiet popular.   It would have been pretty adventurous for me to order that, so naturally, I stayed safe with something I knew I would like (I know call me wild). Since then, I have noticed brussel sprouts in more dishes and have become curious about the little cabbage looking veggies.

I found this recipe on Gimme Some Oven and it looked so delicious I figured this would be a good way to see how I felt about brussel sprouts.  Mixed with so many other things that if I didn't like them I could just pick around them...meal not wasted.  SCORE! I am in!

I followed this recipe and it was easy to make, which was great considering we got home late from swim lessons and my two little guys were running around with my littlest continuing to say "eat, eat"!

I loved the recipe, and it was good and a fun change from the pasta dishes we usually have.  And what, you may ask, did I think of the brussel sprouts? They weren't bad! They are not my favorite veggie, but certainly much better than I grew up thinking they were.  I would definitely make this recipe again. And best yet, my kids ate them because they were mixed in along with everything else! 


This winter when the brussel sprout salad is back in season at Pizza Antica, you can bet I will be ordering it!

Ingredients:
1 lb fresh brussel sprouts, ends trimmed, then sliced in half
3 Tbs Olive oil, divided
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 lb (16oz) orecchiette (or other pasta)
4 chicken sausages (whatever flavor you prefer), sliced
5 cloves of garlic
1/3 cup pesto sauce
Parmesan cheese (for topping)

• Preheat oven to 400, and place water on stove for pasta.
• Mix brussel sprouts with 2 Tbs oil, salt, and pepper. 
• Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Then spread the brussel sprouts out evenly and roast for 15-30 minutes or until the brussel sprouts are browned on the outside and soft on the inside. Then remove and set aside. 
• In the meantime, place remaining Tbs of oil in a large skillet and brown the sausage. Once the sausage is browned add the garlic and saute 1-2 minutes.
• Cook the pasta according to the directions (I begin cooking pasta when right after I start browning my sausage). Then drain, reserving some of the water should you need to add liquid at the end.
• Toss the pasta in with the sausage and garlic, adding in the pesto and brussel sprouts. If pasta is a little dry add more pesto or some of the reserved water.  Flavor with salt and pepper if needed.
• Serve with some parmesan cheese and Voila!

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