Saturday, January 7, 2012

Chicken sausage and spinach penne alfredo

Holy yumminess!! Got this recipe out of a Weight Watchers cookbook magazine and it's yummy! As usual, I made a few changes to sub for things I didn't have/like. I'll note those changes in the recipe. This makes six 1-cup servings with 387 calories each. (Of course there may be some changes with brands they tested but it's close...under 500, which is what we're going for).


INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cup uncooked multigrain penne pasta (I used whole wheat linguine)
1 6-oz pkg fresh baby spinach
3 2.75-oz chicken sausage, sliced (there are lots of flavors...I used an italian one with mozzarella)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 8-oz pkg sliced cremini mushrooms (I don't like mushrooms and didn't have bell pepper, so I used about 2 cups chopped broccoli florets)
1 10-oz jar light Alfredo sauce (I made my own because I'm cheap!)
1/4 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, grated
1/4 tsp black pepper
Cooking spray


DIRECTIONS

Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain, cover and set aside.

While pasta cooks, heat large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Saute sausage about 5 minutes, until lightly browned. Add peppers and mushrooms (or broccoli) and saute about five more minutes. Add spinach and cook just until wilted. Add alfredo sauce and cook just until heated through. Remove from heat.

Stir in pasta and Parmesan cheese, sprinkle with black pepper.