Parmesan Penne with Sausage and Asparagus

Asparagus is one of my favorite vegetables.  Unfortunately, my husband is not nearly as fond of it as I am.  So, I am always trying to come up with creative new ways to trick him into eating asparagus.

This week, I decided to make penne pasta with asparagus and italian sausage.  To ensure that it would be husband-approved, I tossed the pasta in a white sauce with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Not only does this pasta have asparagus in it, but I also used Barilla Plus pasta.  I am a huge fan of the Barilla Plus pastas because they have a good amount of protein and fiber, but taste a lot like regular pasta.

Ingredients:

• 8 ounces penne pasta
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 3/4 pound of hot italian turkey sausages
• 1 pound asparagus, cut into 2 inch pieces
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 cup light cream
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Season with salt, and cook the penne according to the package directions. Drain the pasta and set aside.

In a large saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the sausages and brown on all sides.  Remove the sausages from the pan, and slice on a diagonal. Return the sausage to the pan, and saute to thoroughly cook the sausage.  Add the asparagus and garlic, and saute until asparagus is tender.

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine.  Cook the flour for a minute before whisking in the cream and chicken stock.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Add the asparagus and white sauce to the sausage mixture in the saute pan.  Stir to combine and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmesan cheese.  Garnish with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.