Penne Pasta with Vegetables and Ground Chicken

This is a very easy recipe and has a lot of room for modifications to fit your tastes.  That is what truly makes this recipe fun.

Ingredients:
1 lb Penne Pasta
1 lb Ground Chicken
1/2 bag Baby Spinach
1 lb Sweet Peppers (your choice of pepper)
5 Roma Tomatoes - diced
1 pint Mushrooms
1 can Tomato Paste
2 tbsp Minced Garlic
1 tbsp Dried Oregano
1 tbsp Red Pepper Flakes
Olive Oil
Salt
Black Pepper

Brown the ground chicken in a skillet over a medium high heat along with the minced garlic, red pepper flakes, salt and black pepper.  Remove the chicken, but do not remove the drippings.  Add olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.  Add the sliced sweet peppers and stir occasionally until the peppers begin to soften.  Add the coarsely sliced mushrooms and diced tomatoes along with the oregano.  Stir frequently until the tomatoes begin to break down.

Lightly chop the spinach and place it into the sauce and let it begin to sweat down.  Stir it in and add more as you continue.  The sauce will appear soupy at this time.  Add some or all of the tomato sauce into the sauce along with the ground chicken.  Continue this process until you achieve the consistency that you desire is achieved. 

Add the cooked pasta to the sauce and stir.  Serve the pasta topped with some Parmesan Cheese.  Enjoy!

Penne Pasta with Spinach

Last night, it got a little bit cold and rainy so I decided the grill was not the best option.  Instead, I put together a pasta that turned out very well. 

Ingredients:

1 lb     Spicy Breakfast Sausage (Italian Sausage would work fine)
2 14.5 oz cans Diced Tomatoes
1 bag   Spinach - uncooked
1/2      Medium Sweet Onion - diced
1 tbsp  Minced Garlic
Olive Oil
Oregano - to taste
Salt
1 lb      Penne Pasta

Brown the sausage over a medium high heat. Remove from the pan.  If needed, add olive oil to the pan along with  the onion and garlic and sprinkle with salt.  Stir frequently until the onions soften.  Add the spinach into the mixture and continue cooking and stirring until the spinach begins to wilt.  Add the tomatoes and sausage back to the mixture along with the oregano.  Cook the pasta to completion in a separate pot per directions on the pasta.  Drain the pasta and add to the sauce.  Stir to blend and serve.  Top with Parmesan Cheese and serve.

Something from the garden...

Want a simple and easy meal with a few things from the garden?  Try this pasta dish to brighten up your table.

Ingredients:

1 lb pasta - we used wheels, but substitute as you prefer
1 cup Roma tomatoes diced
1 handful of fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
1/4 - 1/2 grated Parmesan cheese
2 tbsp garlic flavored olive oil

Cook the pasta per instructions.  Put the olive oil into a skillet over a medium heat.  Stir frequently until the tomatoes begin to form a sauce.  Might take 2-3 minutes.  Add the pasta to the skillet.  Stir to coat.  Immediately add the cheese to taste and the basil.  Stir to combine and serve.