I wanted to make something for dinner but knew that we didn’t really have anything in the house to make anything with.  I had to stop at the store to get some mousse anyway so I started looking around for some fresh stuff to make dinner with.  The first thing I thought of was corn on the cob.  I LOVE corn on the cob.  No luck – it was all gone.  The first thing to catch my eye was a big, juicy looking onion.  Mmmm…  I love onions too (if cooked right anyway).

After some thinking and some looking around I ended up leaving with my mousse, an onion, three roma tomatoes, a box of fresh sliced mushrooms, a zucchini (or Italian squash), some shredded parmesan cheese, a bag of penne and a smoked sausage.  Mix them all together and what do you get?  This:

In case you want the “recipe” here ya go…

• 2-3 tablespoons butter
• 1 juicy looking onion, chopped
• 1 medium Italian Squash, peeled and chopped (you could leave the peel on if you want more color)
• 3 Roma tomatoes, diced
• 1 box sliced mushrooms (about 2 cups)
• 1 smoked sausage (or any flavor you think tastes good with pasta)
• 1 bag penne pasta
• 1 tablespoon Italian seasonings (or as much as you want)
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder (powder, not salt and you could sub in 1 or 2 freshly chopped cloves if you’d prefer)

In a medium/large pot, cook the penne as directed on the package.

While that’s cooking, melt the butter in a large skillet (the big ones with the high sides work best – a wok would work too).  Saute the onion until the sides start to go clear.  Don’t cook it all the way (unless you like them mushy).  Add the mushrooms and Italian squash and saute together.  You can also add the Italian seasonings and garlic powder here too.  Some salt and pepper is always a good addition as well.

When the vegis start to soften, add the sausage.  You may prefer to add it at the same time as the onions but if it’s already cooked/smoked all you really need to do is heat it up – so you can really add it whenever you want to.  I like to have all of the different flavors so I add things separately rather than letting them all soak up the same flavor.

Once everything is heated and the penne is done and drained, mix the pasta with the vegis.  Let it sit for about 5 minutes over medium/low heat.  Make sure that the pasta has been tossed enough to be coated with the butter sauce.  Once everything has been mixed together, remove from heat and add the diced tomatoes.  Serve with shredded parmesan on top.

Some other yummy options…

• Artichoke hearts would be a yummy addition.  I would add them with just enough time for them to heat through.  If you use the bottled kind, drain them.
• Asparagus would also be yummy – grilled, steamed or cooked with the onions.  They tend to be a little tough so you’d want more cooking time with them.
• I would have put some olives in with the tomatoes but Jon doesn’t like them.
• A tiny bit of lemon juice with the butter in the beginning would be yummy too.
• Any kind of noodle would do, it’s just easier to eat the smaller pasta with the vegis.

Let me know if you try it and if you liked it 🙂