Surf and Turf Pasta

I made this fabulous new recipe last night! Some people wanted me to share it with them so here it is. Last week at the library Chad strolled along so I actually got to go look for books for me! So I grabbed a few cookbooks. This recipe is from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook. I only marked a handful to try, so overall I don't think I would recommend purchasing this cookbook. But this first recipe was definitly a win so I will let you know if the others are just as tastey!

• 1 lb Penne Pasta ( I like to use brown rice pasta, it's gluten free and a bit easier to digest and still cooks up well. Not nearly as dense as whole wheat pasta either.

• 12 oz Sausage (I used 2 nitrate free sausage links)
• 1/8 c olive oil
• 1 cup diced red pepper

• 1 1/2 c cooked shrimp (I used 1 lb)
• 1/2 c roughly cut fresh basil
• 3/4 c Italian Herb Vinaigrette (We had an italian dressing from a local amish restraunte I used. I don't think I put in only 1/4 c as I didn't want it to dominate the flavor and I added a bit more olive oil to the finished product. I think next time I will make my own italian dressing)
• 20 Cherry tomatoes halved
• 1 cup diced fresh mozzarella
  

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Slice the sausage into 1/2 inch thick slices. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet, add the sausage, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, turning the slices, until just golden.
3. Stir in the red pepper and immediatly remove the pan from heat.
4. In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the sausage mixture, shrimp and basil. Blend well. Add the vinaigrette, and toss lightly. Gently stir in the tomatoes and mozzeralla.

Here is one happy food critic :)

By the way, I just added the Food label at the bottom of this post. So if you would like to see more recipes that I have posted just click on the Food link below :)