Gluten Free Penne with Turkey Sausage and Beans

Isn't pasta delicious?  I'm so glad I didn't have to give it up when becoming gluten intolerant.  There are so many good gluten free pastas you can buy.  This pasta dish is a very satisfying, comfort food type of meal.  It is made with mascarpone cheese, which gives it a nice creamy richness.  This gluten free Penne with Turkey Sausage and Beans has been one of my favorites for years.  I was so glad to find that changing the pasta to a gluten free one didn't alter the taste of this dish.  I used the Barilla  Gluten Free Penne, which I have found to work in just about every recipe.  It is a combo of corn and rice so it's not too hard or too mushy.  This dish is quick and easy to make and is all done on the stove top, so it makes a great dish to make on a hot day, as you don't have to turn on your oven.

Gluten Free Penne with Sausage and Beans

You can use Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage or ground Italian Seasoned Turkey in this dish.  I have used both and like them both, but find it quicker to use the Italian Seasoned Turkey, as you don't have to remove it from the casing, as you do with the sausage.  It makes a yummy left over too!

GLUTEN FREE PENNE WITH TURKEY SAUSAGE
AND BEANS

Recipe from:  Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Adapted from: Giada De Laurentis
click here for Printable Recipe

12 oz. package of gluten free penne
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 package of sweet Italian Turkey Sausage or Italian Seasoned Ground Turkey
1 small onion chopped
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 container of mascarpone cheese
1 tsp. salt
2 garlic cloves

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat.  Add the pasta and cook until tender, about 10-12 minutes.  Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of cooking liquid.

In a large skillet, warm the olive oil over medium high heat.  Add the Sweet Italian Turkey Sausage (casings removed) or  ground turkey, and onions, breaking up turkey into bite sized pieces.  Once the onions are tender and the turkey is browned, add the garlic and cook for a minute.  Add the beans, oregano and basil and cook for 2 more minutes.  Add the cup of pasta liquid and stir, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pan.  Add the mascarpone cheese and stir until it dissolves.  Let it simmer a few minutes to thicken a bit.  Add the salt and hot pasta and stir to coat.

Gluten Free Baked Penne With Sausage and Spinach

I love a good pasta dish.  I'd have to say, this Gluten Free Baked Penne with Sausage and Spinach is just that...a good pasta dish.  The fresh spinach and the tomatoes keep this dish tasting light.  You can use an Italian sausage, but I really like the combo of a chicken and apple sausage to pair with the spinach, tomatoes and olive oil.   Topped with the melted mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, this pasta is high on the "yum" meter!

Gluten Free Baked Penne with Sausage and Spinach

This Gluten Free Baked Penne with Sausage and Spinach is easy to make and is nice as a left over for the next day.  You can use any gluten free penne you like, just try this dish out!

GLUTEN FREE BAKED PENNE WITH SAUSAGE AND SPINACH
Recipe from: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
click here for Printable Recipe

8 oz. gluten free penne pasta
2 tsp olive oil
8 oz. chicken and apple or Italian sausage, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 can (14 1/2 oz.) Italian seasoned diced tomatoes
1/4 tsp. each salt and pepper
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (8 oz.)
1/4 cup shredded parmesan cheese

Cook penne according to package directions, until tender to bite.  Drain.  Pour oil into a  large skillet and over medium high heat cook sausage.  Just as sausage is almost done, add garlic.  Add spinach and stir until wilted, about 5 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes with juice, salt, pepper, and cooked pasta.  Pour pasta mixture into a 13 x 9 baking dish.  Sprinkle with mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and bake in a 350 degree F. oven until cheese is browned and bubbling, 25-30 minutes.

Gluten Free Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne

Gluten Free Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne

One of my daughter's favorite pastas I make is my Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne.  The sausage is sliced and caramelized in light olive oil, with onions and garlic, then topped with tangy goat cheese. When I made the gluten free version of this pasta, she loved it too!

 For me, the two main things I thought I would have to give up when I found out I was gluten intolerant was bread and pasta; two of the things I really love to eat (beside dessert, of course).  I quickly found out, though, that there are a lot of really good gluten free pastas out there.  A lot of them can be found in regular grocery stores, too.

 The first gluten free pasta I tried when making a gluten free version of this Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne was Trader Joe's Brown Rice Penne.  This is a very good pasta, but if you cook it too long it gets pretty soggy, so you have to really watch it and test it as you go.  I soon found there was a whole slew of gluten free pastas out there.  Even Barilla has a gluten free pasta (their pasta is made with a combination of corn and rice) that is also good.  Honestly, I have tried more brands of gluten free pasta than I can recall (I see one I haven't tried, and I have to try it out.  You are welcome gluten free pasta companies).  Almost all of them were good.  I did find that I preferred either an all brown rice pasta or a combo of corn and rice. as opposed to a corn only pasta. I found a brand at Walmart that I have been using , that I do like, called Pasta Joy by Tinkyada.  It is a brown rice pasta.

 This time I made my Gluten Free Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne with yet another brand of gluten free pasta that had a combo of rice, corn and quinoa.  I found it at Fresh & Easy, and the brand was Garofalo.  It was probably the best gluten free penne I have used up until now.  I use Aidells Chicken & Apple sausage, as it has no msg or nitrates, which I also have an allergy to.  Aidells also makes a Chicken & Mango sausage which I have used in this recipe in the past, and it is very good also.  This is a quick and easy stove top recipe that is served up nice with a side salad (a little gluten free bread on the side doesn't hurt either!).

This Gluten Free Chicken & Apple Sausage Penne is a simple dinner that would be great on a hot summer night!  I hope you try it out.  Let me know in the comments section below if you do try it, and how you liked it!

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GLUTEN FREE CHICKEN & APPLE SAUSAGE PENNE
Recipe from: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Yield: 6-7 servings
click here for Printable Recipe

16 oz. gluten free penne pasta
12 oz. package Aidells Chicken & Apple Sausage (or any chicken & apple sausage brand)
Small onion, diced (I like to use a Vidallia, or sweet onion)
1/2 cup light olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. fresh cracked pepper
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese, plus a Tbsp. for topping

Boil salted water for pasta, and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drizzle a bit of olive oil in a large pan and saute onions with a sprinkle of salt and pepper, until they start to soften.  Slice sausage into rounds and add to onions and cook until the sausage is browned and caramelized.  Add garlic and cook for a minute, just until fragrant (you don't want to burn your garlic by cooking too long).

Drain pasta and add to pan of sausage and onions.  Stir to coat.  Add olive oil, salt, pepper and goat cheese and stir until fully coated.  You can drizzle more olive oil if it looks too dry.  Top with extra goat cheese and serve!

Gluten Free Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

I don't know why I never realized what a wonderful pair bacon and macaroni and cheese are...but I finally figured that out.  My family has always loved my macaroni and cheese with a crumb topping, but this Gluten Free version with the addition of Bacon has made this dish an off the charts super star dish.  Gluten free elbow pasta becomes a creamy, cheesy delight, mingled with bites of bacon and a crispy, gluten free crumb topping.  This dish was really comfort food at it's best!

Gluten Free Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

I used a brown rice elbow pasta, which I watched closely so it was cooked to perfection.  If you cook brown rice pasta too long it turns to mush, so you don't want to leave this unattended for too long.  If cooked just right, you won't even tell the difference in this dish from semolina pasta.  I actually found a great gluten free bread crumb mix that had Parmesan cheese in it and Italian seasonings, and it was the perfect topping to this Gluten Free Bacon Macaroni and Cheese.  If you can't find a gluten free seasoned bread crumb, just make your own by toasting a piece of gluten free bread really well, then grind it to crumbs in a food processor and mix with Italian seasoning, salt and if you wish, some grated Parmesan cheese.

GLUTEN FREE BACON MACARONI AND CHEESE
Recipe from: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Adapted from: Taste of Home
Yield: 6 servings
click here for Printable Recipe

1 1/2 cups uncooked gluten free elbow macaroni
5 Tbsp., butter divided
3 Tbsp. gluten free all-purpose flour
1 2/3 cup milk
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
2 ounces process American cheese, cubed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4-5 slices of bacon (I like to use no Nitrate bacon) chopped or torn into pieces
2 Tbsp. dry gluten free bread crumbs (Italian Style, seasoned)

Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain; set aside.  In a saucepan, melt 4 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat.  Stir in flour until smooth.  Gradually add milk; bring to a boil.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes; reduce heat.  Stir in cheeses, salt and pepper until cheese is melted.  Pour over macaroni; mix well.  Stir in bacon.  Melt the remaining butter; add the bread crumbs; Sprinkle over casserole.  Bake, uncovered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Gluten Free Bacon Macaroni and Cheese

Gluten Free Creamy Italian Pasta Salad

One of my favorite dishes to make and take to a summer gathering is a cold pasta salad.  For years I have made this creamy veggie packed pasta salad that is made with garlic, basil and red wine vinegar that gives it a nice zip.  Of course, I couldn't let a little gluten stop me from making my favorite summer pasta salad...so of course I made a gluten free version.

Gluten Free Creamy Italian Pasta Salad

  Although my Gluten Free Creamy Italian Pasta Salad is on the creamy side, it is still light and refreshing with it's crunchy peppers and bright tomatoes.  I am lucky that my neighbor grows tomatoes and shares with me!  I also grow my own basil, making this pasta salad a fresh summer treat (although it is still great with store bought veggies...and is good to eat even in the winter!).

I made up a batch today to take to our neighborhood concert in the park.  So much fun!  My Gluten Free Creamy Italian Pasta Salad also happens to be my daughter's favorite pasta salad, so it doesn't hang around our house for long.

 I have found many brands of gluten free twist pasta and have liked them all.  I try to stick with a brown rice pasta or brown rice blend.  You need to make sure to not over cook the pasta, as it will be sitting in the fridge in the creamy sauce and will continue to soften.

Well, I better give you the recipe now...the concert is about to start!

GLUTEN FREE CREAMY ITALIAN PASTA SALAD
Recipe From: Goodies Gone Gluten Free
Adapted from: Hellmann's
Yield: About 3 Cups
click here for Printable Recipe

1 cup Mayonnaise (you can use light or reduced fat if you wish)
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed through garlic press
1 tsp dried basil or 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaf
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 cups gluten free twist pasta, cooked and drained
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes
1/2 cup chopped green, yellow or red pepper (I use a combo of peppers)
1/2 cup sliced ripe olives
1/2 cup cubed cheddar cheese

Combine first 6 ingredients.  Stir in remaining ingredients.  Cover, chill, serve!