pasta with sausage, broccoli and asiago…and my very first GIVEAWAY!

Oh heaven.  Where do I begin?

How about here:

Yup.  The editors at Martha Stewart Everyday Food magazine are clearly out of their mind as they chose to include me in their March issue, which is this fantastic issue all about eating well on a budget.

I thought someone was playing a practical joke on me when I heard from them.  For reals.

One of the many delicious and budget-friendly meals in this issue happened to also make the cover (see the resemblance between images? oh you don’t?  maybe my shot would look more like theirs if I bothered to read the manual that came with my camera), a pasta with broccoli and sausage.  At $1.33 per serving and less than 400 calories per person it seemed perfect to share with you all, and then I thought I’d also share a little something else…

Oh snap.  That would be my first giveaway.  No big deal.

From the kitchens of Martha Stewart Living, Great Food Fast is so right up my alley.  It has 250 recipes that are simple, easy to make and absolutely delicious, plus they are broken out by season so you can eat well all year long.

I think you’ll love it.

What do you think?

Want a cookbook??!!

So here are the DEETS on the GIVEAWAY:

Head on over to Facebook and finish this sentence:  “I need this cookbook because ________.” 

Tag a friend in your comment (by including @theirname) and if you win, they’ll win my second copy.

Winner will be chosen at random at Midnight on Sunday, March 18th.

Cookbooks generously provided by Martha Stewart Everyday Foods.  What an honor.

Pasta with Sausage, Broccoli and Asiago

(serves 6, from Martha Stewart Everyday Foods)

What You’ll Need:

course salt and ground pepper

1 pound pasta (I used whole wheat fusilli but the original recipe called for rigatoni)

2 heads broccoli, but into florets (about 4 cups)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest, plus 2 tablespoons lemon juice

4 anchovy fillets, minced (optional but really add a ton of flavor, and I don’t think the kids will notice)

1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed (I used parmesan chicken sausage from Sprouts)

Asiago cheese, grated, for serving

Instructions:

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to the package instructions.  In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli and cook until broccoli is bright green and crisp-tender.  Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and broccoli.

In a small bowl, whisk together oil, garlic, lemon zest and juice, anchovies (if using), 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Add sausage to pot and cook over medium-high heat, breaking up meat with a wooden spoon, until browned and cooked through, about 8-10 minutes.  Remove from heat, return pasta and broccoli to pot, and add oil mixture.  Toss well to combine, adding enough pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats the pasta.  Serve sprinkled with asiago.

TOTAL:  Around $8.00 or $1.33 per serving.

Wondering how on earth I arrived at these costs?  Take a look at my shopping guide to show see what I pay for items, per serving, etc.

Nutrition:

382 calories per serving

14 grams of fat

45 carbs

20 grams protein

2 grams fiber

Did you make it?  Did you love it?  Hate it?  Let me know what you think.  Really, I’ve got thick skin… 😉