Stir Fry by Any Other Name.

Every once in awhile, Omaha Steaks (website: http://www.omahasteaks.com/ ) will have a sale on my favorite item; Stuffed Sole Fillets with Scallops and Crabmeat.  Sometimes the sale price is outstanding, or I have enough points saved up to get it free; ah, there is often a catch though, you have to purchase another item.  So it came to pass that I was able to get some for free, but, of course, so long as I purchased another item; so not so free after all.  ..and the shipping is a killer, so definitely not as free as you think it should be, anyway... I noticed a sale package on sausage, an often used item in my cooking, so figured I might as well try it out.

Smoked, mild Italian sausage was the first box I pulled out of the freezer when deciding what to make for Roy that night.  *sigh*  Sausage with Peppers and Onions; Pasta with Homemade Sauce and the sausage as a side...what am I going to do with this?  Alright, time to clean the pantry anyway, so lets see what jumps off the shelves to hit me with an idea.

Barilla 3-Cheese Dried Tortellini, I have bags of it for when I make my Chicken Tortellini Soup; that goes on the counter.  So am I cooking up a quick sauce; maybe throw in some veggies?  I've got in the freezer bell pepper strips of all colors, sliced zucchini; fresh onions and tomatoes would add to this, but not as a sauce.  Oh no, a saute', but when is a saute' a saute', and not a stir fry.  Well I couldn't tell the difference at this moment of truth, I was quickly cooking up the veggies in oil; adding the meat and cooked pasta; tossing it all together, so why not call this a stir fry?  Hence the name of this new recipe, "Italian Stir Fry", and yes, it came out very well.  By the way, except for the pot used for cooking the tortellini, this is a one skillet dish; nice, right!

Italian Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 (12 oz.) package Barilla 3 Cheese Dried Tortellini
4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided in half
½ cup each green, yellow, red bell peppers, julienned
¼ cup diced onion
1 large zucchini, sliced into ¼ inch slices
1 cup diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. Italian herbal mixture
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 and ½ lbs. smoked, mild Italian sausage (Omaha Steaks), cut into ½ inch pieces Parmesan cheese, shredded, for garnish



Preparation:

Cook tortellini according to package directions; begin stir fry while waiting for pasta to cook.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil on medium-high heat; add bell peppers, onion and zucchini; sauté until just beginning to soften. Add in tomatoes, Italian herbs and garlic; mix and let cook for 5 minutes.












Add in sausage, mix and cook for 5 minutes to warm. 








Add in cooked and drain tortellini plus remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Mix gently to coat pasta and incorporate into sausage-vegetable mixture.

Plate and sprinkle shredded Parmesan to desired taste.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour