After looking in the fridge and seeing that I did have some leftovers and fresh produce (an eggplant and sliced mushrooms) that needed to be used, here's what I did:
Leftovers:
* sausage (leftovers from a BBQ joint)
* whole grain pasta
* bagged spinach leaves
Staples in the frig & pantry:
* canned diced tomatoes, Italian
* butter
* EVOO
* onion
* minced garlic
* shredded Parmesan cheese
* spices (salt, pepper, red pepper flakes)
From the garden:
* Basil
DIRECTIONS:
* Start water for pasta with salt and EVOO. Once boiling, cook per instructions.
* Cut up the link sausage. If you are not using pre-cooked leftovers like I did, cook it in a skillet and then set aside in a bowl.
* While sausage is cooking, peel and dice the eggplant (I don't know why it looks orange in this pic, so use it to gauge the size rather than the color):
* Chop 1/2 of an onion.
* In same skillet used to cook sausage, heat 1 Tablespoon butter and 2 Tablespoons EVOO.
* Add minced garlic, onion, eggplant and mushrooms. Cook until browned and softened...approximately 5 minutes.
* While cooking, season with salt, pepper and red pepper flakes.
* Add sausage and spinach leaves. Let the spinach cook down for about 2- 3 minutes.
* Add 1 can of Italian flavored diced tomatoes and continue to season to taste.
* Serve over pasta and top with fresh basil and shredded Parmesan cheese. Voila!!!
I swear this only took me 20 minutes to make and that included taking notes and the pictures you see here.
Add maybe 10 more minutes if you are cooking the sausage and pasta at the same time.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
* You can use squash or zuchinni instead of eggplant, but I would cut down on the cooking time a bit as they both cook faster.
* Try rotisserie chicken instead of sausage. Just shred it and toss it in at the same time you would the sausage.
* Leave out the meat all together. The veggies are substantial enough on their own.
Let me know any other ideas you can think of for this recipe please!!!
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