Chicken Sausage and Provolone Penne Bake

Source: Cooking Light

Change the flavors in this dish by choosing different versions of the chicken sausage.

1 pound uncooked penne (tube-shaped pasta)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 (12-ounce) package sweet basil and pine nut chicken sausage (such as Gerhard's), halved lengthwise and cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
3 (14.5-ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
Cooking spray
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded sharp provolone cheese
1 cup (4 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese

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

Preheat oven to 350°.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper, sausage, and garlic; sauté 5 minutes or until sausage is browned. Add tomato paste and next 5 ingredients (through diced tomatoes); cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes.

Combine pasta and tomato mixture; spoon into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle with cheeses. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

NUTRITION PER SERVING: CALORIES 453(30% from fat); FAT 15.3g (sat 6.6g,mono 5.7g,poly 2.1g); PROTEIN 24.4g; CHOLESTEROL 56mg; CALCIUM 319mg; SODIUM 954mg; FIBER 4.6g; IRON 2.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 55.3g

Cooking Light, JANUARY 2005

I talked about this recipe HERE.