Vegan Sausage and Peppers Rustica

I told you I was going to post vegan recipes and I promised they wouldn't suck.  So here is me and my husband's (a reluctant vegan who still enjoys a steak every now and then) favorite dinner.  It may even be better than Olive Garden.  Maybe.

Dinner and a monster school bus.  Just a day in the life...

1 package Yves Zesty Italian veggie brats, cut in slices
1/2 box Barilla penne pasta
1/2 green bell pepper, cut in slices
1/2 red bell pepper, cut in slices
1/2-1 bottle of your favorite pasta sauce
1 tsp-1 tbsp minced garlic (to your liking)
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1/3 package of Daiya jalapeno garlic havarti

Optional: yellow pepper slices, diced tomato

On medium-high heat, add olive oil, garlic, and sausages to a large pan.  Stir the sausages every few minutes to make sure they don't get too brown.  When they're browned to your liking, add a few tablespoons of the pasta sauce so that the sausages continue cooking but don't burn.  Add the bell peppers.  Turn the heat down a bit.

While the sausage and peppers are cooking, boil your water for pasta.  I like penne, but farfalle works too.  I also don't like a TON of pasta, so how much you make is really up to you.  Use the whole box if you want.

When the peppers are tender but still slightly crispy, turn the heat down to low and add the cooked pasta and as much pasta sauce as you like, giving it a good stir.  I've found that you don't really need a lot of sauce, just enough to lightly coat everything.  But if you like it really saucy, go for it!  Then add chunks of the Daiya havarti and cover for a few minutes.  The "cheese" gets melty, so if you want you can finish by stirring everything up and making the sauce a cheesy red sauce, or you can keep it in melty globs so you have pockets of cheesy goodness.  Either way is delicious!  Enjoy!


Approximate nutritional info:
(when using 1/2 box pasta, 1/2 jar sauce and assuming it it 4 servings total)

Calories: 410
Carbs: 51
Fat: 11
Protein: 30
Sugar: 8