Before I really took the time to learn to cook well, I was one of those people who always followed a recipe (if cooking from scratch) or opened a box and followed the directions there. I certainly was not one to stray away from what I was instructed to do or add in ingredients that I thought would taste good. Nope, I was a complete "rule-follower" when it came to cooking!
Thankfully, that's no longer who I am! I figured out that once you know how to make a few good sauces, you can come up with all kinds of delicious meals that your family will love. For example, as I was thinking over what I was going to make for dinner, I wanted to use some turkey sausage that I had made about a month ago and put in the freezer. (Basically, ground turkey mixed with some seasonings and pattyed out like little breakfast sausages.) The last time I cooked some of it, I realized that instead of being a breakfast type of sausage, it tasted more like the sausage you would find in a good italian soup or pasta dish. Since I didn't have a recipe to go from, I decided to use some trusted ingredients and see how it would turn out.
I started with finely chopped garlic (3 cloves) and butter (about 1-2 TB) and sauteed that in a skillet a bit. Then I added in the sausage and cooked it until done. At this point I poured in an almost full qt of chicken broth and a can of petit diced tomatoes. For seasoning, salt, fresh ground black pepper, basil, parsley, and a dash of oregano. I didn't measure these, just sprinkled them in, but if I had to guess I'd say maybe a tsp of each. While that was simmering, I boiled a pot of water and cooked some whole wheat rotini noodles until al dente. After draining the noodles, I mixed them in with the sauce (about half a box), poured in 1/4 cup of heavy cream, and then sprinkled in about a 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. Delicious! Served with some crusty french bread and a salad, it would be even better!
The point I am trying to make is that you can take a sauce such as this, add in whatever meat you want (or none), your favorite pasta, and sprinkle on your favorite cheese and there you have it - a delicious and easy meal completely ready to eat in about 30 min or so! And just as a side note, my boys devoured this! I'll have to double it next time!
