spicy chipotle sausage pasta
i love when my recipes are created on a fluke. i completely forgot to take some meat out of the freezer that morning. it was way too late to try to defrost some chicken or hamburger meat, so i thought about sausage! it's easier to defrost in some warm water quickly. my mind started going to work. i had just made some chipotle chicken chili and had an open can of chipotles in the fridge. when i went to the pantry for some pasta, all i had on hand was rigatoni. i had a good idea of what i was gonna throw together and it worked out great. my family loved it! my kids kept their iced tea handy cause of the moderate heat but all asked for seconds. good looking out pantry cause you hooked this meal up! 🙂
ingredients:
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta - or pasta of your choice
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil -
- 1 lb package kielbasa - cut into half moons
- 1/2 onion - chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - minced
- 1/2 bell pepper - chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste -
- 2 chipotles in adobo - chopped
- 1 cup chicken stock -
- 1/2 cup heavy cream -
- 1 cup shredded pepperjack cheese -
instructions:
- preheat the broiler.
- bring a large pot of water to a boil. salt the water generously and add the pasta. cook according to the package directions. be careful not to over cook, as it will cook some more in the sauce. drain and set aside.
- add the oil to a large oven safe skillet and heat over medium high heat. once hot, add the sausage. allow to caramelize by not moving for a few minutes.
- toss the sausage and add in the veggies (onion, garlic and bell pepper). toss the veggies with the sausage for a couple minutes until slightly tender.
- add in the tomato paste and stir it into the mixture. allow it to cook for a few minutes and toast slightly.
- stir in the chicken stock and chipotle peppers.
- add in the heavy cream as well. stir until combined and let the flavors marry by simmering for a few minutes.
- pour the pasta into the sausage mixture and toss to combine.
- stir to coat.
- sprinkle the cheese over the top of the sausage mixture in the pan.
- place the pan under the broiler until desired brownness. serve hot!
don't like it with a kick? use less chipotle peppers or eliminate them all together. also, sub in another shredded cheese.
like it extra spicy? use sausage with a kick, like andouille! add in more chipotle peppers or even toss in some jalepenos. red pepper flakes never hurt anybody either. 🙂
