Pasta Bake & Balsamic Green Beans
Posted: April 8, 2010 at 3:11 pmI want to start by saying a huge thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of the comments, emails, and support I have received since the last post. Like I have said before about other posts, I am not afraid to lay it all out there. I think honesty is the best policy. Plus, I know that the biggest motivation for me is when I can find someone I relate to. So by no means will I ever sugar coat things or gloss over my thoughts. Deal?
Now for the recipes. Last night I took a dinner to a mother from the mom's group I participate in since she just had a baby. And her husband is in Afghanistan serving our country. She deserved some comfort food I would say. So I opted to make my own twist on a basic pasta bake and then do some fancier green beans. I have to say I give myself a pat on the back for this one. I never get creative in the kitchen. And yes, this is still a super simple recipe, but I did something on my own without a recipe. Maybe the food blogs I read are rubbing off on me. 😉
INGREDIENTS for CHICKEN SAUSAGE VEGGIE PASTA BAKE
- 1 package whole wheat pasta
- 1 package Spinach & Mozzarella Chicken Sausages
- 1 medium zucchini
- 1 medium onion
- 1 small green bell pepper
- olive oil
- 8oz shredded mozzarella
- 1 can natural tomato sauce
STEP BY STEP
- Cook and drain pasta.
- Chop zucchini, onion, and bell pepper into even chunks (1/2" - 1" in size).
- Saute the zucchini, onion, and bell pepper in 1-2T olive oil until they begin to soften.
- Chop the chicken sausage into bite sized pieces. I used fully cooked Trader Joe's chicken sausage, so no pre-cooking was needed. If you use raw chicken or turkey sausage, you will need to cook it first.
- Mix the sauteed veggie mixture with the pasta, chopped chicken sausage, and jar of tomato sauce in a 9x13 baking dish.
- Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the top of the dish.
- Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, until cheese melts and is bubbly.
Note: I totally meant to use roasted red peppers in this recipe, but forgot we were out. I also think this recipe could have used MORE veggies. When I get around to making this for myself there will be plenty more.
INGREDIENTS for BALSAMIC GLAZED GREEN BEANS
- 12 oz or so of fresh green beans
- 1/4c or so of sliced almonds
- 1c balsamic vinegar
STEP BY STEP
- Pour balsamic vinegar into a small saucepan and let it simmer on medium heat for about 10-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Keep your eye on it! When it starts to get thick and syrupy remove from heat.
- Steam green beans to desired doneness.
- Toss green beans, sliced almonds, and glaze all together until evenly coated. DONE!
Note: I did nab a green bean. It was great! 😉
That pasta bake looks delish!
I love pasta bakes!! This looks so good!! I could totally make this with gluten free pasta for Andrew and me. And the beans look fabulous as well!! Yum, yum, yum!! 🙂 Way to go on not using a recipe!! I have to follow recipes closely, I’m not real clever when doing things on my own! 😉
pasta is my one true food love. that or pizza. yours looks so good though! and i bet you could vamp it up with lots of different veggie flavors too. YUM!
Im such a sucker for pasta bakes–yours looks delicious! I have a yummy penne pasta bake with aspargarus and turkey that I really want to make!
Oh my gosh…that looks AMAZING! I just recently had pasta bake with sausage and why did I not try that sooner?! I love adding veggies to it, too.
I have actually never cooked fresh green beans…I’m horrible! (I blame my mom for feeding us canned as kids).
Omg you have me drooling!! Those dishes look DELICIOUS! I never knew how to make balsamic glaze, but it looks easy enough! Thanks for the great recipes 😉
Ohh delicious looking recipe, and such a coincidence! I was thinking about making a pasta bake for dinner tonight 🙂 I’ll definitely be taking some tips from yours.
Baked pasta dishes are a favorite of mine. This looks so good 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this delicious recipe!! I love the step by step instructions! It looks so simple and tasty 🙂 I can’t wait to try it!
Yum yum on the green beans. I love balsamic vinegar.
Tina, from your last post…omg, I really had no idea. I am so sorry that it;s been such a long, heavy road for you. I didnt know any of that backstory, thank you for the candor, alot of other things make sense now between the lines. Got it. And my empathy and heart reaches out to you…what we do as mothers, it’s amazing. You are amazing 🙂
xoxo
Yum that looks great! And you have won my husband’s heart with the enchiladas so I am sure to be making this one soon too! Have a great Friday! xoxo!
yum! i <3 sauteed veggies! 🙂