$pent Millennial

If you are like me, you guiltlessly indulge in comfort foods and murder podcasts year round. But for the rest of you, the season is here, and you can finally join in on the fun! 

No season pushing, it is official. Fall is here! Time to dust off and display our fall mugs, settle into our Pumpkin Spice lattes, turn up our creepy podcasts and sweat through our (possibly premature, but very adorable) sweater and boot ensembles. It is also the perfect season for creamy, comfort foods filled with carbs and cheese.

My partner, Jesse, has come to know that if there is a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup in the cabinet and some form of carb to soak in it, we have groceries for dinner. Welcome to the Midwest! 

I enjoy getting creative and challenging myself to form recipes out of whatever is on hand. So, when I saw a delicious-looking Sausage Fajita Pasta dish while scrolling through TikTok, I sent it to Jesse for approval. By the time he watched it and gave the green light, I was already in the kitchen pulling together my “substitutions”. Heavy cream, who even keeps that around? I’II just use a good ol’ can of Cream of Mushroom and the milk that is about to expire. Tomato paste? Fancy. We have some leftover sauce from the weekend- close enough. You get the picture. I promptly ignored the video and created my own recipe using what I had in the fridge and pantry. 

The following recipe incorporates the comfort of a creamy pasta with zesty fajita flavors and ingredients. I recommend you feel free to substitute in whatever you have and ignore what you don’t. Give it a try, and let me know what you think! 

Ingredients:

• ½ bag of pepper and onion stir fry mix (Dollar Tree)
• ½ white onion, chopped
• 2 Chorizo (Meatless) links
• 1 Cup of Cheese (I mixed ¾ cups Cheddar and ¼ Cup Mozzarella) 
• Oil for frying
• 3 ½ cups Penne pasta
• 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
• 2 cans of whole milk (measured using soup can)
• Seasoning, to taste:
  • 1 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1 tsp Black Pepper
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1 tsp Creole Seasoning
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1.5 tbsp powdered parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp tomato pasta sauce (or Tomato Paste if you are ‘fancy’ like that) 

Instructions:

1. Begin by frying the frozen pepper and onion stir fry mix in a tablespoon of oil on the stove. Cook until the contents thaw and excess water cooks off.
2. Add the chopped white onion (or any other veggies you’d like to use) into the mix. Continue frying until all the veggies are cooked through.
3. Introduce the Chorizo sausage and cook for an additional 5-7 minutes or until everything is thoroughly cooked.
4. While the peppers, onions, and sausage are sizzling away, bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the penne pasta for about 10-11 minutes, or until it reaches that perfect al dente texture. 
5. Once cooked: remove pasta from heat, strain and set aside. 
6. Once the veggies and sausage are cooked, remove them from the heat and set them aside.

Sauce Preparation:

1. In the same pot used to cook the pasta, melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Whisk in the flour and powdered parmesan cheese to create a roux. This will help thicken the sauce.
2. Add in the cream of mushroom soup and milk. Heat to a boil while adding in the seasoning and tomato paste (or sauce).
3. Once it reaches a boil, remove it from the heat and let it simmer for 1-2 minutes. Add in 1 cup of cheese. Stir it all in.
4. Finally, incorporate the cooked pasta and the pepper and onion mixture. Top it off with more cheese (as desired and available) and get ready to enjoy!

Optional Step:

Bake the dish in the oven at 400°F for 15 minutes.