Gem Electric Neon Pasta

Submitted by Steve P.

"This delicious combination is easy to prepare. If you use frozen veggies you can cut the prep time in half too! It makes a very colorful presentation too, as the many colored veggies look like Gems or like it was lit up with electric neon lights :) Note: Here's a time saving tip. You can substitue 2 cups of Birdseye frozen pepper stirfry for the peppers and onions. This brand I discovered contains strips of red, yellow, and green bell peppers as well as onion. This can be a real time saver!"

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1 lb uncooked penne pasta
• 1 1⁄4 lbs raw italian link pork sausage (I used hot but use sweet if you prefer)
• 1⁄2 lb asiago cheese, shreaded
• 1 cup sweet corn (fresh or frozen)
• 2 cups large diced pumpkin or 2 cups winter squash (fresh or frozen)
• 1 cup large diced red sweet bell pepper (fresh or frozen)
• 1⁄2 cup large diced green bell pepper (fresh or frozen)
• 1⁄2 cup large diced yellow bell pepper (fresh or frozen)
• 1⁄4 cup onion, diced (fresh or frozen)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
• oil (for frying)
• salt

directions

1. Place sausage in large covered fry pan/ skillet.
2. Fill with water so that water goes half way up the sides of the sausage.
3. Bring to boiling point cover and reduce to simmer.
4. Cook sausage until done, about 30 to 45 minutes depending on thickness of sausage.
5. Watch carefully and add water as needed.
6. Water tends to evaporate and leave grease from sausage behind.
7. This is OK If you catch it during the last few minutes of cooking.
8. (if you have melted grease left behind from the cooking sausage reserve it for the end of the recipe) Just be careful you don't burn it.
9. Dice the cooked sausage and set aside.
10. Cook pasta to desired tenderness per package directions.
11. Place cooked pasta in a very large past bowl and toss with the diced sausage.
12. In large frying pan/ skillet add a small amount of oil about 1/4 cup.
13. Fry the corn, pumpkin, and peppers until just tender.
14. Don't over cook or veggies will loose their bright colors.
15. Add garlic the last few minutes of frying veggies.
16. Garlic fries quickly and you don't want it to burn.
17. Season with salt to taste.
18. When veggies and garlic are done, turn heat down low and add the can of evaporated milk and the Asiago cheese to the veggies.
19. Cook stirring constantly just until the Asiago cheese melts.
20. If you have any grease reserved from cooking the sausage add it now.
21. If you used hot sausage, the reserved grease will have an orange tint and add color as well as flavor!
22. Don't worry if the sauce looks a little curdled, it will look fine once it's on the pasta.
23. As soon as cheese is melted in the milk and veggie mixture, immediately pour it over the pasta& sausage mixture and toss to coat well.
24. Serve immediately while nice and warm.

Reviews

[HeatherFeather]

This was delicious! I had been meaning to give this one a try for ages and it was worth the wait. Very colorful and the sauce was creamy without being heavy. I was a bit worried about the sausage boiling part, but it came out great. NOTE: I added the onions along with the peppers and instead of ordinary salt, I used seasoned salt.