Pasta Salad Recipe with Italian Sausage, Zucchini, Red Pepper, and Olives

This salad is a huge favorite of my brother Mark. I made it recently for a family party and his wife was very happy to hear I'd be posting the recipe, but actually this recipe is a slightly different version of the recipe for Italian Sausage Pasta Salad which didn't have a photo. I was very happy with how this version of the salad tasted, but not that happy with the photos; I was in too much of a hurry to get to the party. (Isn't hurrying to get to a party with your family a pretty good reason for having less than sharp photos?) I guess I'll have to make it again, sigh. Oh, the sacrifices I make for this blog.

The original recipe didn't have zucchini, but the slightly blanched and marinated zucchini was really good in this, and zucchini is delicious and low in calories. I used turkey Italian Sausage and Dreamfields pasta to make this South Beach Diet approved. I think the recipe will meet the approval of Ruth from Once Upon a Feast, who's also a pretty committed South Beach Dieter. I've been wanting to make something with pasta for Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights event, and she says she will be happy to accept this, even though it's not exactly a *presto* recipe. It may be a bit of work, but this is a recipe that's worth the effort.

Cook diced zucchini in boiling water about 5 minutes, then drain well. Marinate zucchini in a small bag with a bit of the salad dressing, several hours if possible.

Brown turkey Italian sausage well in a small amount of olive oil. When it's fairly brown, remove from pan, cut into quarters lengthwise, then into pieces about 3/4 inch long, and brown the cut sides. Don't rush this browning step.

While sausage is cooling, cut olives and roasted red pepper (from a jar) into same-size pieces.

Pasta Salad with Italian Sausage, Zucchini, Red Pepper, and Olives
(Makes 6-8 servings, recipe created by Kalyn.)

(Edit - this salad is great with roasted peppers from a jar, but if you want to bump up the flavor with freshly roasted red peppers, here is How to Roast Red Bell Peppers on a Barbecue Grill.)

Ingredients:
3 cups (dry) Dreamfield's Penne (about 2/3 box)
5 links turkey Italian Sausage (hot or mild, but I like hot)
1 can pitted black olives
1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red bell peppers
2-3 small zucchini, cut in fourths lengthwise, then sliced
1 cup Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar salad dressing
(or use your favorite bottled Italian dressing without sugar)
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I used frozen basil from last summer)
1 T dried basil
1/2 cup finely-grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup coarsely-grated parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Wash fresh basil and chop finely. Mix fresh basil and dried basil into Paul Newman's dressing. (If you can do this earlier in the day it would be best.)

Cut zucchini lengthwise into fourths, then cut into pieces about 3/4 inch long. Cook zucchini about 5 minutes in boiling, salted water, then drain well and cool. Put zucchini into small Ziploc bag with a small amount of the dressing. (This is also best done a few hours before making the salad.)

Saute sausage in small amount of olive oil in large frying pan until it is starting to get firm. Remove from pan and cut in fourths lengthwise, then in slices slightly less than 1/2 inch thick. Drain any accumulated fat from pan, then put sausage pieces back and saute 5-10 minutes more, or until sausage is slightly browned on all sides. Drain and cool cooked sausage in colander.

While sausage is cooling, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta 9-10 minutes, or until still slightly al dente. (Be careful not to cook it until it is soft or it will be mushy in the salad. Slightly underdone is better than overdone if you're not sure.) Don't rinse pasta, but drain in colander and let cool.

Cut olives in half lengthwise and cut red pepper into pieces the same size as olives and put into salad bowl. When pasta is slightly cooled, mix pasta and and sausage into olive/pepper mixture. Add zucchini and any dressing which is in the bag. Add most of dressing mixture and 1/2 cup regular parmesan cheese and mix gently. Chill 1 hour or more. Just before serving mix in rest of dressing if needed, and top salad with coarsely-grated parmesan. This will keep for a day or so in the refrigerator, but you might need to add a little extra dressing before serving the leftovers.

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South Beach Suggestions:

Using Dreamfields pasta and Turkey Italian Sausage makes this acceptable for phase two or three of the South Beach Diet, but it's still probably a "once in a while treat" if you're actively dieting, due to the amount of cheese and the fat content.

More Things to Make with Italian Sausage:
(Use Turkey Italian Sausage and Dreamfields pasta for South Beach Diet.)
Spagetti with Italian Sausage and Arugula
Sausage and Basil Marinara Sauce
Italian Sausage with White Beans and Sage
Italian Sausage with Tomato Sauce
Spicy Cherry Tomato Sauce for Pasta
White Beans and Sausage with Tomatoes and Sage from Lucullian Delights
Penne and Rapini with Italian Sausage from Cooking with Amy
Italian Sausages with Ratatouille from Simply Recipes
Baked Penne with Sausage and Ricotta from Chez Megane