Chicken Sausage Penne Marinara (GF, DF)
After selling our house in Arizona, Michael and I embarked on an 8-month road trip living in hotels. Adapting to healthy eating on a budget was no easy feat, given the lack of kitchen amenities. Resorting to a $25 skillet from Target turned out to be a game-changer, enabling us to whip up countless meals. Among the favorites was my go-to chicken sausage penne, cooked entirely in the trusty skillet. Now that we're back to reality, preparing this dish on a proper stove feels like a luxury in comparison :)
Chicken Sausage Penne Marinara Recipe
Serving size: 4 people
Ingredients
4 sweet Italian chicken sausages, diced
1/2 sweet/yellow onion, diced
4 cups pasta (measured raw)
1 jar of your favorite marinara
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
pinch of red chili flakes
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp ground paprika
salt for pasta water
avocado or olive oil
Instructions
Drizzle oil in a deep pan and turn stove on over medium heat.
Fill a sauce pan with water. Put on stove over high heat. Add a generous amount of salt and allow water to boil. Once water is boiling, add your pasta. Turn stove to a simmer.
As pasta is boiling, add your diced onion to your pan with oil. Saute onion until soft. Add in your chopped chicken sausage and continue to saute. Add in your minced garlic, making sure it doesn’t burn.
Keep on an eye on your pasta. Cook based off of box instructions. Take about a 3/4 cup of pasta water and save to the side. Once pasta is cooked, drain and set aside.
Once your onions and cooked well, add in your pasta sauce. Also add in the reserved pasta water and stir.
Add in your seasonings and continue to let your sauce simmer until it has thickened. Taste test to make sure it’s to your liking.
Once the sauce has thickened, fold in your pasta noodles until everything is warmed through.
Serve with your favorite dairy free cheese or Parmesan. Make a little garlic bread for the side and enjoy!
Additional Notes:
You can add in spinach towards the end for added greens.
Check ingredients of marinara sauces. Some of them have a ton of added sugar and sodium.
You can use minced beef or turkey as an alternative to the chicken sausage. A vegan alternative would be vegan Italian sausage.
