Tuesday, July 10, 2007

SQUARSH!

This is the light version of what I made last night, a big favorite at my house, and an awesome way to get rid of some squash. If you're smart, you'll either prep this on the stove when it's cool, or do it outdoors in a pan/over the grill. Cause it was damn hot in my kitchen last night.

PENNE-SQUASH-SAUSAGE CASSEROLE
fills 1 9x13 pan (feeds 6-8 very sufficiently)
(full calorie version found here)

1/2 box Barilla Plus penne pasta
1 lb. Italian turkey sausage
4 small squash/zucchini, halved and sliced in 1/4" half-moons
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 can black olives, drained and sliced thickly
1 can stewed tomatoes, drained a bit and chopped a bit
parmesan cheese (low-fat is fine)
1 c. part-skim mozzerella cheese, shredded
salt & pepper
ground cayenne
basil
parsley

Preheat oven to 350, God help you.

Cook pasta to al dente, drain, and set aside in a large mixing bowl.

While cooking pasta, cook sausage (loose; if necessary, remove from casing) and using a slotted spoon, remove from pan and set aside on a plate with paper towels above and below it.

Leave some of the grease in pan (depending on the leanness of the sausage, it may even be necessary to add a little olive oil to re-coat pan.) Saute onions and garlic . Add squash and black olives and cook until squash are fairly tender. Add stewed tomatoes and herbs/spices/salt/peppers to taste (do not add parsley yet).

Pour veggie saute over pasta in mixing bowl, and mix. Add parmesan and about half of the mozzerella and mix again. Transfer mixture to large baking pan (metal or glass is fine) and top with remaining mozzerella and parsley flakes.

Bake at 350, uncovered, until cheese is melted and casserole has "set", usually about 15-20 minutes. Serve hot.

Leftovers are even better reheated the next day!

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