Sausage And Leek Fusilli

By HeatherS

Ingredients

• 12 oz fusilli pasta
• 2 mild Italian sausages (8 oz/225 g total), casings removed
• 2 teaspoons olive oil (optional)
• 2 leeks (white and light green parts only), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 pinch pepper
• 3/4 cups sodium-reduced chicken broth
• 2 cups cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Step 1

Cook pasta according to package directions until al dente; drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid.

Meanwhile, in large skillet, cook sausage over medium-high heat, breaking up with back of spoon, until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. With slotted spoon, transfer to bowl. Drain all but 2 tsp fat from pan, or add oil if not enough fat.

Add leeks, salt and pepper to pan; cook over medium heat, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer until leeks are softened but some liquid remains, about 5 minutes.

Add tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, parsley, pasta, reserved cooking liquid and half of the sausage; cook, tossing, until tomatoes are softened slightly, about 2 minutes. Serve topped with remaining sausage.

Tip:
Cooking the sausage in the pan first helps flavour the entire dish. Adding some of the pasta water at the end helps loosen the sauce and coats the pasta without adding any fat.

You can also use mascarpone in place of the cream cheese