Guest Author - Jill Valente

This past weekend my fiancé and I babysat for my two adorable nephews David and Jack and my beautiful niece Grace so that my sister could have a much needed night out on the town. She just renovated her kitchen so I took this opportunity to try it out. We popped into Whole Foods to food shop and were immediately drawn to the bell peppers. All the beautiful colors inspired me to make this hearty dish. Although I think of bell peppers as a summer food, they are actually in season until about November. I chose red and orange peppers not only because I adore their flavor and color but also because they have 3 times as much vitamin C as the green ones and 11 times as much beta carotene.

Penne with Spicy Sausage and Roasted Peppers
For this dish I used whole wheat penne rigate because I think it works best with the sauce but you could use any whole wheat pasta. Also, I used Muir Glen Fire Roasted canned tomatoes. They are organic and delicious but any canned tomato would work.

Ingredients
• Cooking spray
• 1 large onion
• 3 bell peppers, red and orange
• ½ tsp red chili pepper, minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tbsp
• 1 tsp salt, divided
• 1 tsp black pepper, divided
• ½ lb hot Italian turkey sausage, out of its casing
• 28 oz can Fire Roasted diced tomatoes
• 28 oz can Fire Roasted whole tomatoes
• 1 lb whole wheat penne rigate
• 1 tsp dried rosemary

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees and spray a large roasting pan with cooking spray. Chop half the onion and all the bell peppers into bite-sized chucks (about 1.5in by 1.5in) and toss them into the pan. Add the minced chili pepper, ½ a teaspoon of salt, ½ a teaspoon of black pepper and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss to coat and roast in the oven for 30 minutes stirring occasionally.

While they are roasting, heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Finely chop the remaining half of the onion and add to the oil. Let the onions sweat out for about 3-4 minutes then add the sausage and separate into bite-sized pieces. Sauté the onions and sausage for about 10 minutes until cooked through. Then add the diced tomatoes to the roasting pan with peppers and the whole tomatoes to the pot with sausage, breaking them apart with your fingers or a spoon. Return the pan to a 250 degree oven and simmer each for another 10-15 minutes.

While they are simmering, heat water in a large pot and when it comes to a boil cook the pasta until firm. As soon as you add the pasta, combine the roasted pepper mixture with the sauce on the stove, season with rosemary, remaining salt and pepper and let simmer until the pasta is cooked. When it’s ready, drain the pasta and add it to the pot with the sauce. Toss to combine and serve. Makes 6 servings.