Jalapeno Garlic Pasta

My cooking hasn’t been terribly effected by this Coronavirus business as of yet, but I have had to improvise a few ingredients, purely for the sake of trying not to go out in public as much as possible…So last night I knew I wanted pasta and I had some chicken sausages that were jalapeno jack flavored, so I got a little creative. Have you ever had the jalapeno garlic tilapia at Johnny Carino’s? It’s one of my favorites and the sausage reminded me of it, so I decided to make my own version.

This will be just as delicious without the sausage, so feel free to eliminate that and add other veggies if you desire. I used what veggies I had in my fridge, but you could easily incorporate others. This would be great with asparagus!

Ingredients:

1 lb of Chicken Sausages (Jalapeno Jack flavored), chopped into bite-size pieces

2 Tbs. Olive Oil

2 Jalapeno Peppers, finely diced

2 large cloves of Garlic, crushed

8-10 large mushrooms, sliced thickly

4 cups of broccoli florets

2 Cups of heavy cream

2 large handfuls of fresh spinach

4 medium tomatoes, medium diced

½ Cup of Green onions, sliced

Juice of two lemons

1 Lb of pasta, cooked as directed. I used bow tie this time, but use whatever you have that won't get too overwhelmed with all your delicious veggies.

Directions:

Cook your pasta as directed, drain and set aside. I like to refrain from dirtying ALL of the dishes, so I waited until the pasta was done and used that pot to cook the rest of the dish.

Add your oil to the pan and turn it on medium-high. As soon as the oil is hot, add the sausages. Stir them until they start to brown

Add the jalapenos and garlic and cook (stirring occasionally) for 3-4 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, broccoli and cook for another 3-4 minutes

Add the heavy cream and heat until it starts to bubble

Add the green onions, tomato and spinach and heat until the spinach is wilted.

Add the pasta and lemon juice and stir together.

Season to taste. You may want to add salt, pepper, and more lemon depending on the flavor. I will also add a little more cream if it’s not saucy enough, although this is meant to be lightly sauced, so don't get carried away or you'll lose some of your delicious flavor.

EnJoy!