I was lucky to be part of a large group of parents while my boys were in elementary school. Since almost all of us were from somewhere else, we formed this little army to look out for each other and offer an extended hand with the children. We shuttled each other’s kids to practice or operated as chief cheerleader at a game. When he was home, we tag-teamed our boys’ sports schedules but that was impossible when he was two time zones away. This bond came in real handy many times because of Mark’s travel as I simply could not be in two places at once.
I learned just how deep our bond was when I needed unexpected surgery. Not only did these wonderful people in our army make sure both boys made it home from school and to their respective practices, they also fed us. I’d never experienced this before. These angels dropped food off every other night for over a week and the amount of food was huge! I felt so guilty taking in this love, that’s exactly what it was to me. Some stayed to chat and others set up the kitchen and left.
Today’s blog post comes directly from one sweet friend who brought dinner. We liked her dinner so much we asked for the recipe. This is a great recipe if you are part of your church or local group meal plan. It’s easy to put together and can be heated up either just prior to delivery or put in the oven when you get there. It makes enough for leftovers, which is ideal for any coordinated meal delivery program.
It’s also fast enough for weeknight meal, easy enough for the RV and the leftovers are delicious.
The recipe calls for Smoked Sausage but we’ve used polsa kilbasa and spicy sausage as well. I think switching out the peas for broccoli would be delicious. We’ve also used bow tie and small sized penne pasta. This flexibility gives you different tastes.
Begin with the pasta and cook it according to the package directions, being careful not to cook it too much. You don’t want mushy pasta in the end. While your pasta cooks, cut the sausage into 1/4-inch slices and cook in a large skillet, placing cooked slices on a paper towel lined plate to drain off any excess grease.
Next, stir the milk and soup together. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
Cook in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes until hot.
Remove from oven, stir and top with remaining cheese and french fried onion rings. Return to oven for 3-5 more minutes until cheese is golden.
When I take this to someone, I include a bag salad and some cookies for dessert.
Smoked Sausage Pasta
Serves 6
- 1 16-ounce package Smoked Sausage
- 1 10 3/4 ounce can cream of celery soup
- 1.5 cups milk
- 4 cups cooked penne pasta (8 oz. uncooked)
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1.5 cups cheddar french fried onion rings
- 1 cup frozen peas
Cook pasta according to package directions.
Preheat oven to 375. Cut sausage into 1/4-inch slices and brown in skillet. Combine soup and milk in a large bowl. Stir in pasta, sausage, 1/2 cup of cheese, 1/2 cup of onion rings and peas. Pour mixture into 3-quart baking dish.
Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven, stir and top with remaining cheese and onion rings. Bake 3-5 more minutes until golden.
Store leftovers in covered container.