Penne Pasta with a Sausage Cream Sauce

The first time I had this, was with a friend from college. Her Mom gave me the recipe, and I've been making it ever since. It is so easy and delicious. I use whole wheat pasta, and half and half to cut back on the calories. You can also use any Italian cheese, I've substituted with whatever I've had on hand. Penne with Sausage Cream Sauce

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, minced

2/3 cup dry white wine

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced peeled tomatoes, undrained

1 cup heavy cream

4 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley (flat leaf parsley)

1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

12 ounces penne pasta, cooked according to package directions*

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional for garnish

1. Cook sausage in large skillet over medium-high heat. Remove sausage; set aside.
2. Drain excess grease from skillet; melt butter and oil in skillet; add onion and sauté until softened and golden in color. Add garlic, cook and stir 1 minute. Add wine to skillet andreduce volume by half, about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and simmer 3 minutes.
3. Return cooked sausage to skillet, add cream and simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, salt and pepper.
4. Add the cooked penne and 1 cup Parmesan cheese to sauce in skillet and gently toss to combine (or place cooked penne in large serving bowl; pour sauce over pasta, add the Parmesan cheese and toss to combine).
5. Serve sprinkled with additional Parmesan cheese.

Serves 6.

*Or substitute with another pasta such as farfalle (bow-tie) or conchiglie (shell-shaped).

Nutritional Information Per Serving (1/8 of recipe; does not include Parmesan for garnish): 400.7 calories; 38% calories from fat; 17.1g total fat; 52.3mg cholesterol; 831.6mg sodium; 285.6mg potassium; 37.5g carbohydrates; 2.3g fiber; 2.1g sugar; 35.3g net carbs; 20.3g protein.