Skilletini and Good Friends

This is one of our favorite dishes and one we have cooked for years! It is an easy week night meal that makes for great left overs!

We made this dish for some of our good friends Jill and Isaac a while back and Jill LOVED it and we promised her the recipe. Well we are awful friends and I have yet to get it to her, so I thought I would blog it and share it with you guys too! So Jill this is for you! Enjoy!

Us on Jill and Isaac’s wedding day in May. Photo by Blue River Photography 

Jill and Issac are somewhat neighbors and are some of our dearest friends. Cattle brought us together winter before last and we became fast friends! We have dinner together about once a week and they are always willing for us to try out new recipes on them. They love our little cowboys, which gives them even extra brownie points!

We also trade help when it comes to cattle. Issac and Jill own a growyard where he grows steers and heifers, when he needs help processing or shipping cattle we are always willing to lend a hand and them with us when we need help with processing or gathering cattle.

Us on shipping day last summer! 

We are truly blessed to have these sweet people in our lives and I look forward to many, many more meals, laughs and cattle work together!

Arturo and Isaac doctoring heifers last summer. Photos by Scott Stebner. 

They also just launched their own “beef loving” food blog! Go check it out, it is called Our Beef Loving Kitchen! Jill and Isaac are sharing their favorite beef recipes and their story of ranching here in the Flint Hills of Kansas!

Skilletini

1 lbs Italian Sausage Links
1 Yellow and Red Bell Pepper
1 Onion
1 Clove of Garlic, minced
1/2 cup Dry Red Wine
¼ cup Tomato Paste
1 14 oz can Diced Tomatoes
1/4 cup of Pesto
1 lbs of Penne Pasta

Begin by browning your sausage. Place your sausage in a 12 inch skillet with water about a 1/4 way up the sausage and a drizzle of olive oil. Cook on medium until water evaporates out and the sausage links brown on each side.

Remove from skillet and set aside. While the sausage cooks slice the peppers and onions into strips about the size of the penne pasta.

As you are working on the sauce cook your pasta to al denta.

In the same skillet the sausage was in sauté your peppers, onions and garlic, using the moisture from the vegtables to begin deglazing the pan. Cook the vegtables until they begin to soften, but try to keep them a little crisp or “al dente”.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook out about a minute. Add the wine and deglaze the pan further if needed. Add in your tomatoes and pesto. Bring to a simmer and allow to thicken slightly into a nice sauce.

Slice your sausage and put back in skillet with the sauce and add the cooked pasta and toss to combine.  Enjoy with shaved parmesan over the top and some good crusty bread!