"Pasta" w/ Italian Sausage & Peppers

Today was a hot and muggy day here and while it was sunny for a good part of the day, we had scattered showers on and off which kept the humidity level high...yuck!  I was able to sleep in a little late this morning which is a nice change.  Hubby and I decided to take our walk before eating this morning.  We took a long walk -- about 5 miles, and then came back and had breakfast.  I had every intention of making an omelette for breakfast, but with the high humidity, I felt overheated and a bit nauseous...so I just had some Greek yogurt with a little natural banana extract, chopped walnuts and then stirred in some fresh blueberries.  It was after noon time when we ate our breakfast, so we didn't eat again until dinner.

I was in the mood for Italian Sausage & Peppers this evening.  I picked up some fresh Italian turkey sausage links and browned them lightly on both sides, then added some water, covered them, and turned the heat to low and simmered for about 15 minutes or so.  For my pasta, I used lightly sauteed julienned yellow squash (hubby had regular pasta with his).  I used my favorite Mezzetta sun-dried tomato pesto (you only need a heaping tablespoon or two since it is so intense and flavorful).  I like to mix it with some additional extra virgin olive oil and then toss it with the sauteed yellow squash pasta.  While the sausage links were cooking, I sauteed red and orange sliced mini peppers, Vidalia onion, and sliced mushrooms in a skillet and then transferred them to a plate.  After the sausage was done cooking, I sliced it diagonally and placed them in a lightly oiled skillet and lightly browned the slices on both sides.  I diced a little fresh mozzarella, sliced some Campari tomatoes and then tossed it all together with the "pasta", veggies, sausage, and pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat.  I topped it with some shredded Parmigiano Reggiano and minced Italian parsley when I served it.  We enjoyed it with a few small slices of my Easy Cheesy Herbed Parmesan Bread that was left from the other night.  It was an absolutely delicious meal.  I can honestly say that I enjoyed this Italian Sausage & Peppers dish more than any other version of it I have ever made.  It was simple and flavorful.  I snapped a few photos below for you to see. Enjoy!

My favorite brand of pesto!