Pasta with Alfredo, Chicken Sausage, and Asparagus

This is an extremely yummy meal. It's super flavorful and filling. I made it tonight for my sweet boyfriend and fave gal pal, Katie. This recipe comes from Pink Parsley. I altered the portions of the original recipe and chose a different sauce to toss the pasta in. I used the alfredo sauce from the Pioneer Woman's Fettuccine Alfredo recipe. It turned out super well! 

Makes 8 servings.

Cook time: 30 minutes or less

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs fresh asparagus (2 bunches), tough ends snapped off and discarded
• olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 5 links of chicken sausage, sliced to 1/4 or 1/2 inch thickness
• 12 oz small shaped pasta (I used a combo of rotini, bowtie, and shells)
• 1/2 c salted butter (1 stick)
• 1 c heavy whipping cream
• 2 c shredded parmesan cheese

Feel free to skip past the picture demonstration to get straight to the listed directions.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.

Once you have snapped the tough ends off the asparagus, toss with a small amount of olive oil and spread the asparagus out on a baking sheet. I tend to over-do it when it comes to coating asparagus with olive oil, so I chose to spray the baking pan and asparagus with olive oil baking spray. Season the asparagus with salt and pepper.

Place the sliced chicken sausage on the remaining space of the baking sheet with the asparagus. I used asiago and spinach chicken sausage from Sam's Club. MM! So good. Bake for 15 minutes, turning the asparagus and chicken sausage once midway through the cook time.

12 oz of any small pasta is needed for this recipe. I didn't have a full 12 oz of any one pasta, so I just used what I had on hand (bowtie, rotini, and shells).

While the asparagus and sausage are baking in the oven, start cooking the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions (mine took 12 minutes). 

Meanwhile, whip up the alfredo sauce. Add the butter and heavy whipping cream to a medium saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the butter is melted.

Add the shredded parmesan cheese and whisk until melted and combined. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Remove the asparagus and chicken sausage from the oven once the cooking time is complete. Cut the asparagus into bite size pieces and set aside.

Once the pasta cooking time is complete, drain the water and add the asparagus, chicken sausage, and alfredo sauce to the pot. Toss to combine and serve to hungry people.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss the asparagus with a small amount of olive oil and spread onto a baking sheet, leaving space for the chicken sausage. Season with salt and pepper. Place the sliced chicken sausage on the baking sheet with the asparagus. Bake for 15 minutes, tossing once midway through.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions. Meanwhile, start making the alfredo sauce by adding butter and heavy whipping cream to a medium saucepan.  Whisk the mixture until smooth and melted. Add the grated parmesan cheese and whisk until melted. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Remove the asparagus and chicken sausage from the oven once the cooking time is complete. Cut the asparagus into bite size pieces. Once the pasta is cooked, drain the cooking water and add the asparagus, chicken sausage, and alfredo sauce to the pot. Stir to combine and enjoy :)

Suggestions:

• Serve with a slice of crusty bread.
• Serve with a salad on the side.