Spicy Sausage Pasta

Last week when Ryan was sick, he wanted chicken noodle soup. Confession: I don't like chicken noodle soup. Not when I'm sick and not when I'm well. But, because I love him so, I drove to the store and bought two cans of chicken noodle soup. I came home, dumped one can in a pan to warm it up on the stove {feeling that it was somehow more homemade if I skipped the microwave}.

He ate it right up and asked for more, so I offered to open the other can. He said to me, That was all that was in the can?

Tiny little sucker, wasn't it? I quipped.

I sent the other can in his lunch the next day and as I told the story to my mom that same day, she said to me, Didn't you add water to it?

I'm sorry. Say what?

What can I say? I'm not a canned soup girl. I'm more of a whip-up-some-comfort-food-from-scratch sort of girl. And this is one of our FAVORITE meals. My sister recommended it to me a few months back and I've made a few alterations to suit our tastes, and also to make it healthier than the original version. It's a bit of a sinus cleanser, but it is GOOD.

And so far I haven't messed it up. You know. Like I did the canned soup.

And, just for the record, Ryan said this is his favorite main dish that I make.


Spicy Sausage Pasta

* 1 tablespoon oil
* 1 pound turkey smoked sausage
* 1 cup chopped onion
* 1 teaspoon garlic powder
* 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
* 1 {10 ounce} can of diced tomatoes with chilies - mild
* 1/2 cup milk
* 8 ounces wheat penne pasta
* 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
* 1/2 cup chopped green onions



Pour oil in a large, deep skillet and turn burner on medium heat. Slice the turkey smoked sausage, add the chopped onion and cook in the oil until the onion softens. Add garlic powder and cook for another minute or so. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, milk and pasta, cover skillet and allow to cook until the pasta is tender - about 15 minutes. When dish is fully cooked, sprinkle cheese and green onions on top. Serve warm.

A Few Tips:

* We've adapted this to be a little bit healthier: using the turkey smoked sausage, the wheat pasta, and 1% milk - and it tastes GREAT that way. But if you prefer the regular smoked sausage, regular pasta and cream instead of milk, you can certainly switch those out.

* You can use any kind of cheese that you have on hand - and add more, if you like. We believe there's no such thing as too much cheese.

* The tomatoes give this a bit of a kick. If you love kick, you can use a medium or hotter version.

* If you don't have penne, you can use rotini or any other shape you have and like.

* This reheats well - and we like to eat it with garlic bread!