Fresh Tomato, Sausage, and Pecorino Pasta

(photo courtesy Randy Mayor & cookinglight.com)

I've made this dish a few times now and I love it. It is simple yet delicious. I use turkey sausage and whole wheat pasta to make it a bit healthier but using the real stuff is just fine too. Also, I add some chicken broth so make the pasta less dry and I like it better that way.

Ingredients:

- 8 ounces uncooked penne
- 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage (I use turkey sausage)
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 cup vertically sliced onion
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 1/4 pounds tomatoes, chopped (I used 2 large tomatos and it was enough)

- 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth (I added this)
- 6 tablespoons grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese, divided (you can also use parmesean, asiago, or romano cheese)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup torn fresh basil leaves

Preparation:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.

2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Remove casings from sausage. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage and onion to pan; cook 4 minutes, stirring to crumble sausage. Add garlic; cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes; cook 2 minutes. Add chicken broth; cook 2 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 2 tablespoons cheese, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and basil.

Yield: 4 servings (2 cups pasta mixture, 1 tablespoon cheese, and 1 tablespoon basil)

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 389
Fat: 10.7g (sat 4g,mono 4.5g,poly 0.7g)
Protein: 21.6g
Carbohydrate: 53.5g
Fiber: 4.5g
Cholesterol: 27mg
Iron: 3.3mg
Sodium: 595mg
Calcium: 159mg