Era molto saporito!

I have never been a great pasta maker, maybe it's because I don't have a sniff of olive skin. I am not talking homemade fresh pasta, just pasta. I am limited to a basic tomato sauce with turkey meatballs to really jazz it up. It doesn't mean I don't like it, just never been great at executing something more exciting. One of my roommates was a great pasta maker. She was the first person I saw use ingredients like sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs and different cheeses at home. That was pretty eye opening, but didn't cross over into my own cooking so much. I even had two weeks of inspiring eating in Italy, and man did I eat. Being pregnant in Italy had its down sides: no wine, but also upsides: gelato, pasta and pizza (in that order).

I guess my husband got board of the tomato sauce routine and came up with his own pasta recipe. It is now a staple in our house and I am proud to say I even make it (on my own). And FYI having a husband that creates dishes is pretty much my dream come true, but I think we have stagnated at this one. Not that I'm not appreciative. And I must say he has been finding recipes to try without my strong suggestion, like the fish tacos. Anyways enough making him look good...

1/2 box of whole wheat linguini
2-3 lean turkey Italian sausage cut into rounds or removed from casing
1 bunch of asparagus cut into 5 cm lengths
2 coloured bell peppers cut into thin strips
1/4 cup sliced and drained sun-dried tomatoes
A handful of fresh basil chopped
2 cloves of garlic crushed
1/4-1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup light feta cheese cubed

Cook linguini according to package directions. Cook sausage in a large deep sided frying pan. Drain off any excess grease. Throw in asparagus, crushed garlic and peppers and sautee until just tender. Add sun-dried tomatoes, pepper flakes and basil.  Add drained pasta and enough olive oil to coat. Stir to combine. Add feta at the last minute then remove from burner and serve. Serves 4-6. 

Turns out great every time and is loaded with flavour. It is also good with spinach that is just wilted. The whole wheat pasta is high in fiber which helps to keep you feeling satisfied longer (for the same calories as white pasta). There is also a fair amount of veggies in here and guess what? They include some dark green and bright orange and red veggies (depending on your pepper choice). 

So, happy to report I can now cook a really good pasta, thanks to my husband. The title of this post means that was delicious in Italian.