The majority of our dinners are Mexican or inspired by our travels in Mexico. It is funny because my husband Hector, who is from Mexico City, doesn't really like Mexican food that much. I know! It is pure craziness. He doesn't even like avocados or salsa. I guess that means more for me then! He would actually prefer pasta or an Italian inspired dinner. I am always looking for new ideas and Italian recipes that I think he would like. Recently I found a recipe for a fusilli pasta from Giada de Laurentiis: Fusilli with Sausage, Artichokes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes.  Once I read the recipe, I knew that I had to tweak it, veganize it, and make it my own. I love finding recipes and using them as inspiration and putting my own spin on it.

Lately I have been obsessed with these oven-dried tomatoes from Costco. The tomatoes are oven dried and then packed in oil. There is so much flavor packed into these tomatoes. If you cannot find any oven-dried tomatoes in olive oil, simply use sun-dried tomatoes that are packed in oil. Just make sure that the tomatoes are packed in olive oil since we will need that to cook the sausages in. I know that some people aren't a big fan of vegan sausages. I don't cook with them often, but once in awhile I like to use them when I am looking to bulk up a dish.

For a little cheesy flavor, a simple vegan parmesan cheese is made. Only walnuts, nutritional yeast, salt, and garlic powder are needed to create a nutty and cheesy vegan parmesan. I used walnuts for the base because I really like how the flavor of the walnuts pair with the tomatoes and artichokes.

This recipe does make quite a bit and the leftovers store really well. If you can find oven-dried roma tomatoes, I highly recommend picking up a jar. They really add tons of flavor to this hearty pasta dish. I hope you enjoy this Italian inspired pasta as much as us.

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Vegan Fusilli with Sausage, Artichokes, and Tomatoes

Yield: 6-8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

A hearty Italian inspired pasta featuring oven-dried roasted tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and vegan Italian sausage.

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Ingredients

• ¾ Cup Oil Packed Oven-Dried Tomatoes, reserve 2 tablespoons of the olive oil
• 4 Vegan Italian Sausages {I used Tofurkey's Italian Sausages}
• 2- 14 Ounce Cans Artichoke Hearts, drained
• 2 Garlic Cloves, minced
• 1 ¾ Cup Vegetable Broth
• ½ Cup Dry White Wine
• 1 Pound Fusilli Pasta
• ½ Cup Vegan Parmesan
• ¾ Cup Chopped Basil
• Salt and Pepper to taste

For the Vegan Parmesan:

• ¾ Cup Walnuts
• 3 Tablespoons Nutritional Yeast
• ¼ teaspoon Garlic Poweder
• ¾ teaspoon Salt

Instructions

1. Slice the sausages into ¾-1 inch round slices.
2. Heat the reserved olive oil in a large + deep skillet/ frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced sausages and cook until browned, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a bowl. Set aside.
3. Lower the heat to medium and add the artichokes; cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the broth, oven-dried tomatoes and wine to the pan. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the sauce has slightly reduced, about 8-10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Heavily salt the water and cook the fusilli pasta according to package directions. When the pasta is al dente, drain the pasta and transfer to the sauce. Stir in the reserved sausages, chopped basil, and parmesan. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Serve the pasta with the extra parmesan cheese on the side.

For the Vegan Parmesan:

1. In a food processor, pulse together the walnuts, nutrtional yeast, garlic powder, and salt until the consistency is a fine-crumb. Store in the refrigerator.

Did you make this recipe?

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XO
Jeni