A preview of the deliciousness that is about to enter your life:
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| See.....no sauce.....get it? |
But first!....An important life update! Okay fine, just an update.......
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| Me, reading my watch, shocked at how late it is! Yes I know, I always give an Oscar worthy performance....... |
I made a purchase I've been thinking about for a long time yesterday and I am so ridiculously excited that it's embarrassing. My friend and I went shopping with the sole purpose of finding cute glasses (not sunglasses, regular glasses) because they make us look smarter and I just love the whole nerd-chic factor they bring to an outfit. It has been a secret dream of mine to need glasses every since I can remember, but alas I am blessed (or cursed I should say....) with good enough vision that I don't need glasses. Anyways, neither of us ended up actually buying glasses but we did both buy other things that we hadn't intended to purchase..........for me it was a gold Michael Kors watch. I bought the gold "Runway" watch; it's the watch that Michael Kors put on all of his models for his first few fashion shows, hence the name. I love it and it's a pretty classic style so I'm definitely happy about my purchase; I've been wanting it for awhile and finally mustered up strength to purchase it (with the support of my friend, Sara of course).
My Twist: I decided to use Field Roast's Italian Sausage because it's vegan and taste delicious......and it was on sale at whole foods while Tofurkey brand was not. I decided to use broccolini instead of broccoli rabe because I like broccolini better, and it's more substantial. I did not use whole wheat penne or brow rice penne; I would do this if I were cooking for myself but my brother doesnt go near that stuff (even though I actually think it tastes better than refined flour pastas) so regular penne it was!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 2 bunches broccolini
- 3 large cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 6 sun dried tomatoes (chopped as finely as possible)
- 4 vegan Italian Sausages (I used Field roast brand but I’m sure any brand would do)
- pinch of salt and pinch of pepper
Directions:
1. Steam the broccolini for 2-3 minutes, they should be bright green and not limp.
2. Immediately remove the broccolini from the steam basket an spread out in a bowl in the freezer to stop the cooking.
3. Bring a large pot full of water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook for about 12 minutes (or until it is cooked to your desired doneness, I like mine slightly al dente)
4. Drain the pasta and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Place the pasta in the dish you plan to serve it in.
5. Slice the sausage into ½ inch thick slices.
6. Add the sausage to a hot, non-stick pan with a little bit of water or oil to prevent them from sticking. The stovetop should be on medium heat.
7. Brown the sausage lightly on each side.
8. Once all of the sausage is lightly browned, add the garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and reserved pasta liquid to the pan. Cook for about 1 minute or until you can smell the aroma of the garlic and tomatoes.
9. Add the broccolini into the pan and stir it around until it is well mixed with the sausage, garlic, and tomatoes.
10. Once there is about ¼ cup or less of liquid left, add salt and pepper.
11. Remove from heat and immediately pour over over the pasta.
12. Mix the pasta and the sausage-broccolini mixture until everything is evenly dispersed.
13. Ready to serve! You could (and should) add a sprinkle of vegan parmesan if you like (I definitely did)…..or you can always pull a de-veganizing move like my dad and brother and just add regular parmesan. I know I make fun of their non-veg ways, but it’s actually really awesome how they’re totally down with all my vegan meals every night (with the occasional sprinkle of parmesan ofcourse).
And now to address my title and get down to the nitty gritty....
So you're wondering about yet another wierd title of mine.... well this one actually makes sense.....kind of. I have a delicious, quick, and easy penne recipe with vegan sausage, but it's very light and doesn't have a heavy sauce which is why it's "Not so Saucey." Although it may not have a heavy sauce, it's still got some heavy flava if ya know what I mean.
The Inspiration: So I'm gonna get real with you all; marthastewart.com is my homepage....always has been and always will be. Recently there was a slideshow of pasta recipes, and ofcourse I had to look through it; one recipe that caught my eye was the Broccoli Rabe and Italian Sausage Penne. I wanted to Veganize this and add a little bit more flavor......so that's what I did. I didn't see the recipe, just the picture, so there could be a lot more elements to her recipe than there are to mine, but I think mine turned out great so it's fine.My Twist: I decided to use Field Roast's Italian Sausage because it's vegan and taste delicious......and it was on sale at whole foods while Tofurkey brand was not. I decided to use broccolini instead of broccoli rabe because I like broccolini better, and it's more substantial. I did not use whole wheat penne or brow rice penne; I would do this if I were cooking for myself but my brother doesnt go near that stuff (even though I actually think it tastes better than refined flour pastas) so regular penne it was!
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| This is how the garlic and tomatoes should be chopped. |
Light and Easy Broccolini & Sausage Penne Recipe
- 1 lb penne pasta
- 2 bunches broccolini
- 3 large cloves garlic (finely minced)
- 6 sun dried tomatoes (chopped as finely as possible)
- 4 vegan Italian Sausages (I used Field roast brand but I’m sure any brand would do)
- pinch of salt and pinch of pepper
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| This is the color and rigidity of the broccolini AFTER being steamed. |
Directions:
1. Steam the broccolini for 2-3 minutes, they should be bright green and not limp.2. Immediately remove the broccolini from the steam basket an spread out in a bowl in the freezer to stop the cooking.
3. Bring a large pot full of water to a boil and add the pasta. Cook for about 12 minutes (or until it is cooked to your desired doneness, I like mine slightly al dente)
4. Drain the pasta and reserve ½ cup of the cooking liquid. Place the pasta in the dish you plan to serve it in.
5. Slice the sausage into ½ inch thick slices.
6. Add the sausage to a hot, non-stick pan with a little bit of water or oil to prevent them from sticking. The stovetop should be on medium heat.
7. Brown the sausage lightly on each side.
8. Once all of the sausage is lightly browned, add the garlic, sun dried tomatoes, and reserved pasta liquid to the pan. Cook for about 1 minute or until you can smell the aroma of the garlic and tomatoes.
9. Add the broccolini into the pan and stir it around until it is well mixed with the sausage, garlic, and tomatoes.
10. Once there is about ¼ cup or less of liquid left, add salt and pepper.
11. Remove from heat and immediately pour over over the pasta.
12. Mix the pasta and the sausage-broccolini mixture until everything is evenly dispersed.
13. Ready to serve! You could (and should) add a sprinkle of vegan parmesan if you like (I definitely did)…..or you can always pull a de-veganizing move like my dad and brother and just add regular parmesan. I know I make fun of their non-veg ways, but it’s actually really awesome how they’re totally down with all my vegan meals every night (with the occasional sprinkle of parmesan ofcourse).
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