Sausage and Vegetable Pasta

Grocery Shopping Tip
for today:
*make sure you know what you need , and buy it all at once-less trips to the store means more money left  in your pocket!

I know this isn’t exactly a profound announcement, but perhaps it is one that we all need to be reminded of once in awhile.  It is easy to just stop and pick up the milk or cheese…but how often is it JUST the milk or cheese?  (or is it the milk, cheese, butter, chips, chicken, might as well get some toilet paper and orange juice while i am here too…?)

My solution?  If I don’t have it, I cook around it–meaning, too bad, you have to wait until grocery day–and if that means I can’t make pizza because there is no cheese, then I choose something else to make for dinner tonight.

Radical?  I don’t know if that is radical, but it did help to change my perception a little–we live in a culture  obsessed with “I want it now”  and instant gratification.

Perhaps waiting 2 days to pick up the milk won’t scar us, perhaps it will help to teach us patience.  Perhaps it will force us to be a little more creative in the kitchen, by using only the ingredients on hand.   Perhaps it will help us to put a little space between the instant and the gratification…

What I know for sure, is that less trips the store  has left more money in my pocket, and more time for other important endeavors at home.

This recipe came out of a “Oh my God, I don’t have any….” panic in the kitchen–surprisingly it became a favourite at our house–what a happy accident!  It is also extra economical (read: super cheap to make 🙂

Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes and Vegetables
1/2 package Oktoberfest sausage sliced very thin
1 med onion sliced into wedges
2 cloves garlic
1 carrot (use your vegetable peeler to “peel” the carrot into strips)
a few mushrooms quartered
1/2 red or yellow pepper chunked
any other veg. you need to use up (carrots, brocolli, spinach- whatever!)
1/2 900g package of pasta (like fusili or penne)
1 can diced tomatoes
oregano
thyme
crushed chilies

Saute sausage until golden brown.  Add onion and mushrooms and cook until onion is softened.  Add peppers, carrots and garlic and saute for about 2 min. Add tomatoes and seasonings  and simmer gently  for about 15-20 min. 
In the meantime, cook your pasta until done.  When it is finished, drain and add to sausage mixture. Toss  and serve.  Top with grated Parmesan Cheese.


Tips: sauteing the sausage until golden brown caramelizes the sausage adding extra flavour.
This makes a great leftover lunch or extra dinner–adjust the quantities to make more or less depending on your needs.


Enjoy!