{Recipe} Chicken Sausage Pasta

I got my inspiration from this recipe on Pinterest, but since I don't allow heavy cream (among other unhealthy items) in my home, I knew that I'd have to come up with a healthy alternative! I also made a lot of other swaps, so a fair warning: my recipe is essentially nothing like the Pinterest one I just mentioned. It just provided a bit of inspiration. :) The end result was great...but from the looks of it, I just threw this together!

Source

1 package of Hillshire Farm Chicken Sausage (13oz), sliced

7 oz bowtie pasta, cooked and drained

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp cornstarch

1 cup low-sodium 99% fat free chicken broth

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if you like spicy!)

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 cup cooked green beans

1. Slice the chicken sausage into 1/3 inch medallions.

2. Boil pasta. Drain and set aside.

3. Cook green beans.

4. Saute the chicken sausage with a a few small drops of olive oil.

5. Combine the cornstarch with 1/2 cup of chicken broth, whisk until blended well.

6. Add cornstarch/broth mixture to sausage, along with the other 1/2 cup of chicken broth.

7. Add all spices to sausage & sauce, allow to simmer and thicken.

8. When the sauce has thickened, add the cooked pasta and cooked green beans, mix well. 

9. Sprinkle generously with shredded Parmesan cheese, and stir.

10. Enjoy!

If you wanted to make this even healthier:

-Use boneless, skinless chicken breast to reduce sodium content
-Stir in nonfat Greek yogurt to the sauce mixture to pump up the protein & calcium!

-Use whole-wheat pasta

-Forego the cheese (but the Parmesan really does add to the dish!)

Nutrition Facts per serving:

250 calories

9.6g fat

37.9mg cholesterol

627g sodium

28g carbohydrates

15g protein