Delicious & Well-Rounded, Quick Weeknight Pasta #Recipe

Hey Friends!

You know me, sometimes I get really inspired by something in the kitchen and I just want to share it with the world. Today, it was a quick pasta dinner I whipped up for myself on a busy week where meal planning didn't make it into my schedule. I also really wanted a warm, cozy dinner since the weather is finally cooling off, as well as something well-rounded. This fit the bill perfectly, with lots of veggies, flavor-packed chicken sausage bits, and a totally slurp-able spinach & chive linguine.

Once again - I'm not great at measuring and really good at the whole "throw things in until your heart tells you to stop" thing, so let this recipe be a chance for you to practice your chaotic cooking!

What you'll need:

• Trader Joe's Spinach & Chive Linguine Pasta (or whatever pasta floats your boat)

• A package of Italian seasoned chicken sausage

• A jar of Trader Joe's Vodka Sauce

• A few garlic cloves

• 1 yellow onion

• 1 zucchini

• A handful of Cubanelle peppers (bell pepper also works)

• Handful cherry or grape tomatoes

• Chives

• A few basil leafs

• Handful of spinach

• jar of sun-dried tomatoes

• jar of marinated artichokes

• Your fav cheese (I like the Trader Joe's Quattro Formaggi, which is a shredded cheese blend of parmesan, asiago, fontina, & mild provolone cheeses)

Making the pasta to warm your exhausted body on a Tuesday:

1. Boil a pot of water with some salt (I like pink himalayan)

2. Chop up your zucchini into cute little disks, slice those cubanelle peppers on the short side so they make fun little rings, cut your cherry or grape tomatoes into halves, dice about half your white onion, and give your chives, basil, and garlic a nice mince.

3. In a bigger pan (I actually used my wok for this because I'm far too attached to it to use any other pan), heat up some olive oil on medium heat. Toss in that garlic until it becomes fragrant (this happens very quick, don't wait to long & burn your garlic!).

4. Add your diced onion into the garlic mix, let it start getting translucent.

5. Chop your chicken sausage into small bite sized bits.

6. Throw your zucchini, peppers, tomatoes, chives, and basil into the pan with the onions & garlic. Give it a nice little season with salt & pepper (and whatever spice your soul tells you). Give it a couple minutes, then add your chicken sausage.

7. Once your pot of water starts boiling, add your pasta noodles & cook until al dente. Grab a little pasta water from the pot and save it for later.

8. Let your pan of veggies & chicken sausage cook on medium heat until the veggies start looking soft & the chicken sausage gets a nice sear. Toward the end of the cooking process, throw in some sun-dried tomatoes and marinated artichokes (I usually always have these on hand in my fridge cause they are so good in everything).

9. Add about 3/4 of your jar of vodka sauce to the veggie/sausage pan as well as a handful of spinach on top, plus a little splash of your saved pasta water. Let it get nice and bubbly.

10. Top it off with a generous sprinkle of cheese, cover the pan to melt it in, then throw in your noodles!

11. Eat the pasta in a warm cozy blanket & give yourself a high-five for being awesome.

Writing out the recipe makes it seem more complicated than it is, but honestly I have most of these things in my fridge/pantry all the time, so it's just a matter of a few chops here and there and boiling some water. This dinner was so delicious and cozy, and it had every component of a well-rounded meal: carbs, fiber, protein, and fats. I found this dish very satisfying and a fun way to throw in a few more hidden veggies to my day. I totally recommend giving it a shot, and let me know what you think if you do!

Until then, may your autumn be perfect sweater weather, may your meals be warm and cozy, may your candles smell like pumpkin spice & everything nice, and may the odds be ever in your favor!

Sincerely,

Natasha LaGrega