Penne with Chicken Italian Sausage

We bought these chicken Italian sausages a while back and I've been waiting to make them. They are much better for you than the traditional pork sausages and come fully cooked. You just have to re-heat and prepare. So, tonight I pulled together a quick pasta dinner and ooh boy, it was yummy! In fact, it is the perfect pre-race meal, so I will be making it again, probably the night before the 1/2 marathon!!

Penne with Chicken Italian Sausage
Ingredients:

4 links of chicken Italian sausage
3/4 pkg of whole wheat penne pasta
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
2 green bell peppers, chopped into chunks
1 bag of frozen peas
3 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
Balsamic vinegar (small drizzle)
Worcestershire sauce (small drizzle)
Salt and Pepper
Feta cheese (to taste)
Cherry tomatoes (cut in half)
Grape tomatoes (cut in half)
Olive oil
Baby spinach

1. Cut the sausage into small coins. Saute over medium heat until brown on both sides (about 5-8 minutes). Set aside in a bowl.

2. In the same pan, add the sliced onion and peppers and some salt. Add a little olive oil and saute until they begin to soften. When they start to soften, add the garlic.

3. Meanwhile, start a pot of water boiling for the pasta.

4. Add a small drizzle of balsamic vinegar to the onions and peppers and stir around. Add a small drizzle of Worcestershire sauce. Stir and continue to let cook. Cut heat down to low-medium.

5. Add salt to pasta water when boiling. Add pasta. Cook for most of the time. When four minutes remains, open the bag of frozen peas and pour into the water with the pasta. This will cut the boil. Bring it back to a boil and cook the pasta and peas the remaining four minutes. Drain and put in a large bowl.

6. Add the sausage back into the pan with the veggies. Reheat.

7. Add the sausage and veggies to the noodles and peas. Mix. Add the baby spinach and mix around. Add the feta cheese and mix. Lastly, add the tomatoes and mix.

8. Serve immediately. YUM!!!

**If I'd had pine nuts, I would've toasted off a handful and added this to the mix. Also, some crisped prosciutto or bacon or pancetta would've added a nice smoky flavor.