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This was a quick and easy dish that we whipped up this weekend after Alexis bought some chicken sausage from Costco that had artichoke, garlic, and mozzarella. The sausages looked and sounded delicious, so I wanted to use them some way other than just grilled and thrown in a bun. 

In the Summer, I like to keep my pasta dishes simple and on the light side in terms of sauces. The only sauce in this dish is the butter and juices from the sauteed vegetables, which totally works. The Sabatino's sausages were boldly flavored and juicy, but you could probably swap out any fully-cooked chicken sausages, and it would work in this recipe.

Grilled Chicken Sausage Pasta

By www.nibblemethis.com

Published 07/20/2020

Ingredients

• 4 links Sabatino's Chicken Sausage with Smoked Mozzarella, Artichokes, & Garlic or another fully cooked chicken sausage
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 sweet onion, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 cups diced fresh tomatoes
• 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano or Italian seasoning
• 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 3 large leaves basil, chiffonade sliced (rolled up like a cigar and thin sliced)
• 8-10 ounces dried penne or other pasta, cooked according to directions and kept hot.

Instructions

1. Preheat the grill and your skillet.  Set up your grill for direct heat at 400°f (medium-high heat). If you don't have a temp gauge, you should only be able to hold your hand about 6-inches above the grates for about 4-5 seconds.  Once the grill has been stable for 15 minutes, place a cast-iron skillet or another grill-safe skillet in the grill for 5 minutes before cooking.
2. Grill the sausages. The particular sausages I used are fully cooked and only needed 2 minutes per side (8 minutes total) to heat through. Then remove them from the grill. If you are preparing raw sausages, they will take longer, just follow your package directions.
3. Cook the onion and tomatoes. Melt the butter in the skillet, add the onions and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano/Italian seasoning, and garlic. Cook until the tomatoes and onions are tender and the juices have slightly thickened, about 3-4 more minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Toss it all together. Stir the hot pasta, the skillet full of veggies, and the parmesan cheese together. Slice the sausages and place them on top (or you can stir the slices in, too). Garnish with fresh sliced basil and enjoy.

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 20 mins.

Total time: 40 mins.

Tags: grill, skillet

Notes:

Summer is in full tilt, so we got to enjoy some of Alexis' fresh basil and tomatoes with this dish.

The first time, I used a Lodge wok-style skillet (P10S). Tip: If your onions don't start sizzling right away, your skillet isn't hot enough, move it over the hottest part of your grill.

The second time we made it, I got to use my 80-year-old Griswold skillet that I recently bought and refurbished.

Homegrown, Summertime tomatoes are the best!

The tomatoes will break down and start sweating out their juices, so the tomatoes really aren't sauteed. They are really just quick-stewed in their own juices. 

The butter and juices make a light and brightly flavored sauce for the pasta.

You can just stir the sausage and basil in as well, but I think having them sliced across the top like this makes for a beautiful presentation.

Want to check out more?
Consider buying my books, 
The Kamado Smoker and Grill Cookbook and The Offset Smoker and Grill Cookbook.