Italian Sausage Pasta Skillet

 

  You know those days you have where you can’t get anything done.  It might be a day off of work, but is it really?  Especially when you have scheduled two appointments, two drop offs for the kids, three pick-ups for the kids, piano, choir and bedtime by eight…You know. You have those days too.  At what point during the day are you supposed to make dinner?  At what point do you actually have time to eat dinner?  Aghhhh!  I have one those days every week and this is the go-to meal to get the family fed, relax for a few moments, and breath. 

  This recipe comes from the Pillsbury cookbook, Easy Week Night Dinners , and that is exactly what it is.  Italian Sausage Pasta Skillet,  contains 7 ingredients and it can be whipped together in a flash.  It is a two pan dish, one for the pasta to boil in and one for the dish to cook in.  It might not look super fancy but it is delicious!  I serve it with garlic bread (from the freezer, shhhhh) and everybody is happy!  If you are feeling more loving than usual you could serve a side salad with this to round out the meal.

Hopefully this dish will make your week a little bit easier. 

 

Italian Sausage Pasta Skillet

1 pound Italian pork sausage

8oz heavy cream

1 pound box of pasta, you can pick whatever shape you like

3/4 cup chopped tomatoes, seeded

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried parsley

Salt and pepper to taste

Optional:  dried chili flakes for a little heat

 

1.  Put a pot of water on the stove to cook the pasta in.  Cook pasta according to the package directions.  When cooked, drain the pasta.

2.  In the meantime, brown Italian sausage in a large skillet on medium-high.  Make sure you crumble it so it gets evenly distributed in the pasta dish.  Drain the excess grease off of the sausage and return to pan.

3.  Add the oregano, (dried chili flakes, if using) chopped tomatoes, and heavy cream to the pan with the sausage in it.  Cook for five minutes on medium until the sauce starts to thicken.

4.  Add the drained pasta to the meat mixture and stir to coat the pasta.   Add the dried parsley, salt and pepper.  Let cook another five minutes to warm through. 

5.  Leave it in the pan and serve!  No fancy dishes.  Serve it right out of the skillet. 

Enjoy!