Chicken Sausage, Pepper & Onion Pasta {Gluten Free}

I have to confess, I don’t care for whole wheat pasta. There is just something about the texture that I don’t like and I love all the crazy whole grains out there so it’s not a whole grain issue. Honestly I think it stems from when I was pregnant in my first trimester with my third child and I made a whole wheat mac & cheese when I was at my sickest. That seemed to scar me for life.

I do however, love this gluten free pasta that is a blend of organic brown rice, quinoa, amaranth and corn. I don’t eat a strict gluten free diet, but I do love experimenting with different ways of eating and I love to try to new products.

So many people these days are being diagnosed with gluten intolerances/allergies or even Celiac disease, an immune reaction to eating gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. If you have celiac disease, eating gluten triggers an immune response in your small intestine. Over time, this reaction produces inflammation that damages the small intestine’s lining and prevents absorption of some nutrients.

Thankfully for these folks, nowadays you can find a ton of gluten free products on the shelf. There is something really rewarding about serving something that is unexpectedly gluten free such as pasta, to a gluten free crowd or to those health minded people that are interested in trying a gluten free diet. People who aren’t too familiar with eating gluten free might not realize that they could still eat something like pasta….and most served a dish like this won’t even notice the difference!

The chicken sausage is a pre-cooked sausage from Costco filled with bits of bell pepper and basil and is also free of gluten and I sauted it along with some peppers and onions to create a flavorful tomato sauce.

Top it with some zesty goat cheese or leave the cheese off if you want a dairy-free meal. If you are looking for a delicious, comforting and easy meal for company or any day of the week, try this chicken sausage, pepper and onion pasta, gluten free! I am already envisioning turning leftovers into a pasta bake- pour on some extra sauce and top with fresh or grated mozzarella cheese and bake!

Do you want to experiment with a gluten free diet? I am excited to be working with Udi’s gluten free brand over the next 10 months to bring you more gluten free recipes and information!

Chicken Sausage, Pepper & Onion Pasta {Gluten Free}

 

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Ingredients

• ¾ lb organic gluten-free pasta (blend of brown rice, quinoa, amaranth, corn, etc)
• 3 teaspoons olive oil divided
• 1 lb chicken sausage (pre-cooked), sliced
• 2 bell peppers sliced, you can use yellow, red or green (~3 cups)
• 1 small onion, sliced vertically (~1½ cups)
• 1 (28 ounce) can organic crushed tomatoes
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ½ teaspoon dried basil
• salt to taste
• 4 ounce goat cheese
• chopped fresh basil for garnish (optional)
• reserved ½ cup pasta water

Instructions

1. In a large skillet heat 1 teaspoon oil, add chicken sausage and brown on medium heat for ~6 minutes. Transfer sausage to a bowl.
2. Add 2 more teaspoons oil to pan, add peppers and onions and saute for ~5 minutes or until softened. Add crushed red pepper and minced garlic and cook 1 more minute.
3. Pour in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, add sugar, black pepper, basil and oregano. Bring to a boil, the reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in sausage and simmer an additional 5-10 minutes or until ready to use.
4. Boil pasta according to package directions. Before draining reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Drain pasta, transfer to a large serving bowl. Add a splash or two of reserved pasta water to the tomato sauce, pour sauce over pasta and top with crumbled goat cheese and fresh basil (optional).

Notes

Depending on the products used, you will likely not need to add any salt to this dish. If you are omitting the sausage, you might need some.

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Learn more about living gluten free! Visit http://udisglutenfree.com/

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Udi’s Gluten Free. The opinions and text are all mine.