Saucy Italian “Drunken” Noodles + Weekly Menu

I spent most of yesterday in the kitchen. I sampled some cookies and went for a run. In other words, it was a glorious day!

The past few weeks have been so busy at work. At work, we are {finally} transitioning to electronic medical records…and that, is no small task. The amount of training…and preparation…and meetings involved has been astronomical. I have my “proficiency” exam this coming week to ensure I am able to use the system efficiently enough to receive my log-in and password. I’m well on my way, but I have some more practice to do. The problem is, when your office is in the kitchen, you’re always being interrupted. I’m either answering the phone, responding to emails, helping with recipes or meal prep, or any other number of distractions. Kitchens are busy places! But ironically, I do very little cooking at work.

…I look forward to doing my cooking at home.

So it’s understandable that when I have evenings full of hockey game or meetings and I’m not able to make dinner, my days feel…off…and incomplete. Putting a meal on the table…it’s my favorite time of the day. Other than coffee time, that is. Nothing trumps coffee in the morning.

I’ve had to be very ingenious with meals lately…everything has had to be quick. If it reheats well, all the better.

Meals like this are a must. You have your carbohydrate, protein, and fat all in one meal. There are healthy fats, vegetables, and lean protein.

There are very few dishes. Two to be exact.

The results? They make even the pickiest of eaters happy. And healthy? It’s healthy, too. And filling. Definitely filling. The ingredients are not only affordable, but you can easily find them. Heck, you may even find most of them in your pantry.

When you open the bottle of wine for this recipe? Enjoy that over the next few nights. You’re welcome in advance.

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Saucy Italian “Drunken” Noodles slightly adapted from The Cozy Apron

1 Tbsp olive oil
3 spicy Italian turkey sausage links, casings removed
1/2 yellow onion, quartered and sliced thinly
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 (28 oz) can no salt added diced tomatoes, with juice
8 oz Pappardelle egg noodles, uncooked
2 Tbsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, julienned

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Remove sausage with a slotted spoon once cooked through.

Add the sliced onion to the pot, and cook about 5 minutes. Add the salt, Italian seasoning and black pepper; stir to combine. Add the bell peppers, and saute with the onion for about 2 minutes until slightly tender. Add in the garlic, and once it becomes aromatic, add in the white wine and allow it to reduce for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the diced tomatoes with their juice, and return the browned spicy Italian sausage back into the pan. Simmer for about 3-4 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 3-4 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add the noodles and cook according to package directions, until al dente. Add the noodles to the pot and toss to combine, using tongs.

Serve drunken noodles with chopped parsley and basil.

Yield: 4 servings

Nutrition Information (per serving): 465 calories; 11.0 g. fat; 68 mg. cholesterol; 760 mg. sodium; 61.3 g. carbohydrate; 7.0 g. fiber; 22.3 g. protein; 7.0 g. sugar

Result: The wine…the garlic…the crushed red pepper. It was so many of my favorite flavors in a bowl of warm, saucy noodles. Nothing not to love about that! This meal was easy to make and came together quickly. Keeping it simple is good 🙂

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This week is the first week in about a month where I have few evening commencements (i.e. work late or hockey). I’m looking forward to diversifying my workouts with some runs and elliptical…and of course, making dinner!

Weekly Menu: March 24th – 28th

• Sunday: Chicken Tikka Pizzas
• Monday: Veggie Tacos with Crock Pot Refried Beans
• Tuesday: leftovers
• Wednesday: Thai Curry Chicken
• Thursday: Chicken and Orzo Skillet

Got lots of coupons for Kohl’s I “have” to use today 😉 My last regular season hockey practice tonight and we have a team meeting afterwards. We were asked to bring a dessert…so I’m bringing 2 🙂 I’ll be sharing them soon!

Be well,