This is an easy and useful one-pot meal. This is a favourite recipe with my sons, who love pasta in cheese sauce and sausages, and this recipe combines both. This recipe is adapted from a recipe I found on the internet - BBC - Food, by Mark Sargeant, from Great British Budget Menu. Chicken or beef sausages can be used instead of pork. The original recipe didn't include cheese, but it doesn't have the same flavour without it. Removing the cheese will obviously reduce the cost. I have also added the greens for nutritional reasons, but these could be served separately, or it could be served with a salad. Replacing the tinned tomatoes with Watties Mexican Tomatoes makes a nice change. It is gluten free if GF sausages, stock, flour and pasta are used. Preparation time is less than 30 minutes. This will keep in the freezer for two months.
Ingredients
| 1 Tbsp | Olive oil |
| 1 large | Onion, diced |
| 2 cloves | Garlic, chopped |
| 8 large | Pork sausages (Main) |
| 1 tin | Chopped tomatoes, (Or Watties Mexican tomatoes for a stronger flavour) |
| 300 ml | Vegetable stock |
| 1 large | Zucchini, Chopped |
| 50 g | Butter |
| 50 g | Plain flour |
| 1 pinch | Mustard powder |
| 500 ml | Milk |
| 400 g | Penne pasta (Main) |
| 1 cup | Grated cheese, Preferably tasty (Optional) Plus extra if desired, for topping |
| 1 pinch | Salt |
| 1 pinch | Pepper |
| 1 sprig | Parsley, (Fresh or dried) |
| 1 handful | Chives, (Fresh or dried) |
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
- Bring to boil water to cover sausages in a large frying pan and boil them for 7 minutes to cook and remove excess fat. Drain and fry sausages until brown on all sides, or chop each sausage into four or five pieces and return to pan to brown on all sides. Remove from pan.
- Add the oil to pan and gently cook the onion with a pinch of salt for 4-5 minutes or until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add sausages to pan, along with the tomatoes, zucchini, vegetable stock, parsley and chives. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes uncovered while you make the white/cheese sauce. The tomato sauce will reduce quite a bit during this time.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and stir to mix. Cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the mixture has taken on a biscuit-coloured appearance. Slowly add the milk, bit by bit, whisking as you add to prevent any lumps from forming. Add Mustard powder. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes to thicken slightly then add cheese and stir until it has melted into the sauce. Remove from the heat.
- Meanwhile, cook the penne in a pan of salted boiling water according to the packet instructions.
- IF USING CHEESE SAUCE: Once cooked, drain pasta and pour the cheese sauce into the pasta and mix well. Pour the sausage and tomato mixture into a medium-sized ovenproof dish. Pour over the white/cheese sauce with pasta and top with extra grated cheese if using. Grill in oven until golden brown..
- IF USING WHITE SAUCE: Once cooked, drain and pour the pasta into the pan with the sausage and tomato mixture. Mix well. Pour this into a medium-sized ovenproof baking dish. Pour over the white sauce and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until bubbling and golden.
