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WW Recipe of the Day: Penne Pasta with Italian Zucchini “Sauce” & Chicken Sausage
This simple and delicious rustic Italian zucchini “sauce” with pasta is the first recipe from The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks (affiliate link), a wonderful book that jumped off the shelf to me during a visit to Powell’s Books in Portland several weeks ago.
Written by Kathleen Flinn, a graduate of Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, it’s the story of her experience providing cooking lessons to a diverse group of nine volunteers—who all feel intimidated in the kitchen.
By the end of a series of basic cooking and tasting classes each woman is transformed, gaining both confidence in the kitchen and in herself.
For anyone interested in home cooking, it’s a fun, inspirational, and educational read, with recipes for several delicious-sounding dishes.
Recipe Notes
Based on a southern Italian farmhouse dish, Kathleen explains that, “the slow-cooked zucchini takes on a nutty, earthy flavor and the pasta water ‘melts’ the vegetables in a sort of thick sauce.” She also includes suggestions for variations: adding caramelized onions, cooked Italian sausage, fresh basil and/or pine nuts.
I adapted the recipe slightly: beginning with thinly sliced onions (instead of caramelizing them separately), adding the chopped zucchini and then stirring in sliced grilled Italian chicken sausage at the end.
How Many Calories and WW Points in Italian Zucchini Sauce Pasta and Chicken Sausage?
According to my calculations, each serving has about 351 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
8 SmartPoints (Green plan)
8 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
4 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
9 PointsPlus (Old plan)
We all thought this simple rustic Italian pasta dish was satisfying and delicious; a definite do-over. Enjoy!
If you like this Rustic Italian Pasta with Sausage and Zucchini, be sure to check out my other Weight Watchers Friendly recipes including Light and Creamy One Pot Pasta, Artichoke Spinach Baked Pasta Made Lighter, Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta, Sausage and Pasta with Veggies, and WW Pasta with Italian Sausage, Peppers, Onions and Mushrooms
If you’ve made this Italian Zucchini Pasta Dish, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Rustic Italian Zucchini “Sauce” with Penne and Chicken Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, thinly sliced into half moons
- 3 pounds zucchini, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 6 ounces whole wheat pasta, such as penne
- 2 links cooked Italian chicken sausage, thinly sliced
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large skillet (affiliate link), heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until they begin to soften.
- Add the zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, until the zucchini browns and starts to fall apart. This should take about 15 to 25 minutes, depending on your pan, the heat level, and the size of the zucchini pieces.
- Meanwhile, add the pasta to boiling salted water. Cook 2 minutes less than the package instructs. Before draining, carefully scoop out 3 cups of the hot pasta water.
- Add 1 cup of the pasta water to the browned zucchini. Bring to a gentle simmer, adjusting the heat if necessary, and stirring to scrape up any browned bits.
- Add another half cup of the pasta water and repeat the process until the zucchini takes on a thick, almost creamy consistency.
- Add the cooked pasta to the zucchini mixture, along with a couple large pinches of coarse salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.
- Cook, for a couple of minutes, until the pasta softens. Stir in the sliced sausage.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and taste again to see if the dish needs salt or pepper before serving.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 8 SmartPoints (Green plan) 8 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 4 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 9 PointsPlus (Old plan) I adapted the recipe slightly: beginning with thinly sliced onions (instead of caramelizing them separately), adding the chopped zucchini and then stirring in sliced grilled Italian chicken sausage at the end.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Source: Adapted from The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks (affiliate link) by Kathleen Flinn
More Weight Watchers Friendly Pasta Recipes
- Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage and Kale (Simple-Nourished-Living)
- Angel Hair with Zucchini and Tomatoes (SkinnyTaste)
- Pasta with Italian Sausage, Peppers, Mushrooms + Onions (Simple-Nourished-Living)
I am listening to the audio book Kitchen Counter Cooking School and I wanted to make this recipe, I googled it and found it here! Thank you for posting this and I especially like the extremely easy option of adjusting the recipe to accommodate more or less servings. Thank you! It turned out great and will now be a “go to” in my cooking arsenal! ?