Spicy Sausage Pasta Bake

You MUST try this recipe. It's a matter of life and death. And please don't let the word 'spicy' scare you. There are MANY substitutes you can do to cook it to your desired spice-level, even with no spice, if that's what you'd like.

Now let me give you an idea of how good this recipe is. I've been trying lots of Pioneer Woman recipes lately, and every one I've tried has been a home-run. I was getting a little nervous about this and was contemplating telling Greg some of the recipes were my own, so he would stop considering leaving me for Pioneer Woman because her cooking is so amazing. Anyway, we're sitting at the dinner table over this pasta the other night, and he said, "Where did you get this recipe again? Was it PW?" And I said, "no, why?" His answer: "It's so good that if it was, I might have to leave you for her."

Greg LOVES this recipe. If I don't make it at least once every 2 weeks, he's asking for it. The credit actually goes to my good friend Kat. (Well, she informed me that the ORIGINAL credit goes to Cook's Country, but thank goodness she was willing to share it for all of us who don't subscribe to them!) Side note: Please don't get me in trouble if it's illegal to post this recipe on my blog without their permission... ;)

So here goes:

Ingredients

1 lb chorizo sausage (I use mild sausage, bc that's too much spice) halved lengthwise, and sliced thin

1 onion, finely chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

3-4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes (or, if you're like me and can't cook with chunks of tomatoes if you want your husband to keep speaking to you, substitute with a 15 oz can of tomato sauce)

1/2-1 cup heavy cream

1/2 tsp each salt and pepper

1 lb penne pasta

2 cups shredded pepper jack cheese (this is the only spice that I keep in and it gives it just the right amount of kick, but you could substitute colby jack if you wanted)

4 scallions, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook sausage and onion in large, oven-safe skillet over med-high heat until lightly browned, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. (If you're like me and your sniffer doesn't work, just count to 30.) ;)

2. Stir in 3 cups broth, tomatoes, not drained (or tomato sauce), cream, pasta, salt, and pepper, and bring to a boil. Cover pan and reduce heat to med-low. Simmer, stirring frequently, until pasta is tender, about 15 min. I usually end up adding that last cup of broth during this 15 minutes because I run out of liquid to finish cooking the pasta.

3. Turn off heat, uncover pan and stir in about 1/2 cup of cheese. Top with remaining cheese and put in oven for about 5 minutes until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Sprinkle with scallions and serve.

Please let me know if you make this, and let me know how much you love it!

Looking for another recipe for Italian sausage? Try my Italian Sausage and Spinach Pasta!