Spicy Pasta with Vodka Sauce & Italian Sausage

You can add as much (or as little) kick to this pasta as you like - by varying the amount of red or Cayenne pepper.  I made this for a dinner with friends and we all loved it!  This quick dish is easy to make...the only downside is that you have to remove the sausage from its casings (this is kind of a gross project, but well worth it)!  Serve with an Asparagus & Green Bean Salad with Garlic-Lime-Pesto Dressing (see recipe below).  Enjoy!

Serving Size: 4 people

Prep Time:  10 min

Cook Time:  20 min

 Ingredients:

1 pound Italian Sausage, removed from the casings and crumbled

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 cups finely chopped yellow onions

1/2 tsp red pepper

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1-14 oz can crushed tomatoes

1/2 cup frozen green peas

1 cup vodka

1 cup cream or half-&-half

1/3 cup chopped basil

1 lb choice of pasta (I recommend Rigatoni)

Grated Parmesan Cheese 

Directions:

Bring large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta as desired.  Meanwhile:

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add sausage and cook until browned and all pink has disappeared (3-4 min).  Add onions, & red pepper and saute until soft and slightly caramelized (about 6 min).  Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.  Add crushed tomatoes, stir, and cook 2 more minutes.  Add vodka and cook until slightly reduced (4 min).  Add peas and cream, cooking 2 min or until thickened.  Remove from heat & stir in basil.  Add pasta to sauce and combine.  Serve with grated cheese.  

Asparagus & Green Bean Salad with Garlic-Lime-Pesto Dressing

Ingredients:

1/2 lb green beans

3/4 lb asparagus

1 cup parsley, chopped

1 lemon, juiced

2 tsp garlic

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1/3 cup olive oil

Salt & Pepper

Bring 1 inch of salted water to a boil  Add green beans.  Cover & cook 3 minutes.  Add asparagus and cook another 3-5 minutes, or until cooked (but not mushy)! Drain. In a food processor or blender, combine next 4 ingredients (everything except for olive oil).  With processor running, stream in olive-oil.  Season and pour over vegetables.