For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you may have noticed I am training for a half marathon in March. This week is my second highest mileage week of training so I am really feeling the lack of energy! With 19 miles this week, I have been craving pasta {I feel like I could probably eat a pound myself!} Two of my favorite ingredients to combine with pasta dishes are tomatoes and spinach. There are so many ways to incorporate vegetables into pasta dishes and I had a lot of fun experimenting with this recipe! Instead of a traditional red sauce or pesto sauce, I used another favorite sauce: pepper sauce! This is such a simple sauce to try and I have found so many uses for it. 

Red Pepper Pasta
12 ounces canned piquillo or roasted red peppers, roughly chopped
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
16 ounces penne pasta 
12 ounces fully cooked spinach & feta chicken sausage, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 cups fresh spinach
1/3 cup feta cheese {I used fat free} 
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste


Begin by cooking the pasta according to package directions; reserve up to 1/2 cup cooking water to thin the sauce if needed. Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet, heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat; add the bite-sized sausages and cook until brown on each side, about 10 minutes. Transfer cooked sausage to clean plate and set aside. In the same skillet, add the onion and garlic; saute for about 3-4 minutes. Add the piquillo or roasted red peppers to the onion and garlic mixture, stir to combine and cook for another 2-3 minutes, just to warm the peppers. Transfer pepper mixture to blender and pulse until completely combined and smooth. In the same skillet, turn down the heat to medium-low; heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add the halved cherry tomatoes. Allow to cook for a minute or two and transfer the pepper sauce to the skillet; stir to combine. Stir in the pasta and spinach followed by the cooked chicken sausage. Allow to cook another 1-2 minutes just to allow the spinach to begin to wilt. Garnish with feta cheese.