fresh tomato, sausage, and pecorino pasta

Something that I'd like to add to our blog is a running list of good food we make. I'm sure it will progress from this initial post (where I'm simply going to list the recipe with my comments & use the stock picture from Cooking Light) to something a little more exciting (maybe I'll do step by step pictures sometimes!).

I really enjoy cooking. It makes me feel good to put ingredients together a certain way & have a nutritious, good looking & good tasting meal come out of it. I try to include Cassidy in meal preparation (she does a bang up job as the ingredient taster!) & hope that, in doing so, she will learn to try new & different foods. Already we're pretty proud that she'll try almost anything we give her. She may not eat more than a bite, but for a two year old I think that's pretty impressive. So, on to today's meal which, by the way, Cassidy will chow down on like a crazy person. And it's easy to make - usually,from prep to table, it takes me less than a half hour. My comments are in italics.

Fresh Tomato, Sausage & Pecorino Pasta (from Cooking Light, September 2009)

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

Ingredients

• 8  ounces uncooked penne I've also used bowtie pasta with success - C loves it.
• 8  ounces sweet Italian sausage We, being vegetarian, use Morningstar Italian Sausage
• 2  teaspoons olive oil
• 1  cup vertically sliced onion
• 2  teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/4  pounds tomatoes, chopped My favorite time to make this is in the summer with tomatoes right out of the garden.
• 6  tablespoons grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese, divided Or the regular Romano or Parmesan that's already in your fridge!
• 1/4  teaspoon salt
• 1/8  teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4  cup torn fresh basil leaves When it's winter & we don't have any from the garden I use the freeze dried stuff from the store - I think it's the next best to fresh.

Preparation

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

While it's cooking chop your onion, garlic, tomatoes & basil. If you're using the Morningstar Italian Sausage, which comes frozen, nuke it in the microwave for about 30 seconds to thaw it a little prior to following the next direction.
 
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. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 2 tablespoons cheese, salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese and basil.

Let me know if you try it & what you (& your family!) think!