Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage (hot or mild)
1 pound steak-topper vegetables (fresh onions, peppers, and mushrooms)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
2 cups water
8 ounces multigrain penne pasta
1 (24-ounce) jar specialty marinara sauce

Steps

1. Preheat large sauté pan on medium-high 2–3 minutes. Place oil in pan; swirl to coat. Add sausage; cover and cook 2–3 minutes, turning often, to brown all sides. Add vegetables, salt, and pepper; cover and cook 2–3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until onions begin to brown.
2. Stir in water and pasta; cover and bring to a boil. Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally at first, and then more often (to prevent sticking), until most of water is absorbed.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Remove sausage from pan (let stand 5 minutes). Stir marinara sauce into pasta and cook 4–5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until thoroughly heated.
4. Slice sausage into circles (or bite-size pieces) and stir back into pasta. Cook 1–2 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Serve.

CALORIES (per 1/4 recipe) 780kcal; FAT 44g; CHOL 85mg; SODIUM 1940mg; CARB 69g; FIBER 3g; PROTEIN 29g; VIT A 35%; VIT C 170%; CALC 10%; IRON 30%

Ingredients
4–5 fresh basil leaves
4 plum tomatoes
1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons fried peppers/onions
1/4 cup reduced-fat tomato/basil feta cheese
2 tablespoons sliced black olives
8 slices frozen Texas garlic toast

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Rinse basil, rinse tomatoes, and drain artichokes; chop all finely. Chop peppers/onions; place all in medium bowl. Stir in cheese and olives until well blended.
2. Arrange garlic toast slices on baking sheet. Bake 3¿5 minutes on each side until browned.
3. Spoon tomato mixture over toast slices and serve. (Makes 8 servings.)
   NOTE: Substitute 1 tablespoon basil herb paste for fresh basil.

CALORIES (per 1/8 recipe) 224kcal; FAT 13g; CHOL 4mg; SODIUM 448mg; CARB 22g; FIBER 2g; PROTEIN 4g; VIT A 10%; VIT C 38%; CALC 2%; IRON 2%