Pasta Salad with Roasted Chicken Sausage and Vegetables

Simply Balanced

1 red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 medium summer squash, cut into 1-inch pieces

8 oz. asparagus spears or green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces

2 to 3 Tbsp. olive oil

Salt and pepper

1 pkg. spinach and garlic chicken sausage, cut into 1-inch pieces

8 oz. whole wheat penne, uncooked

2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

2 Tbsp. shredded Parmesan cheese

I spaced and bought the wrong color of pepper.

Heat oven to 425F. In large bowl, toss bell pepper, squash and asparagus with olive oil. 

But it still came out pretty!

Arrange on rimmed baking pan. Salt and pepper to taste.

Add sausage to pan. Bake 20 to 30 minutes until sausage is brown, stirring halfway through.

This might actually be a good mix just by itself.

Meanwhile, cook penne according to package. Drain, reserving ¼ cup water.

Combine penne, sausage and vegetables in large bowl. Add vinegar and reserved water; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve warm or cool.

It's a nice pasta salad, eh?

My Rating: 4/5 "I loved the variety of textures in this. The flavor has lots of interesting diversity, too, which is nice in contrast with pasta salads where everything kind of tastes like everything else once it's blended. Also, chicken sausage is delicious. So that's a plus."