Jarlsberg and Gouda Penne with Chicken Sausage.

 Jarlsberg is on sale this week so we wanted to try something cheesy and different than our previous dinners by making a pasta dish. The Sabatino sausages were also on sale for some added punch to the dish.

I grated Jarlsberg and Smoked Gouda (about 2 cups total).

I added a couple tablespoons of corn starch and distributed it to allow the cheese sauce to thicken and to avoid clumping.

In a Dutch oven, I added a cup of Pinot Grigio and started slowly adding the cheese after it came to a simmer. We will admit we bought the wine from Aldi but Costco has plenty of affordable quality wines that we could have used.  

After all the cheese was melted, four sausages were cut up and added. The dish was seasoned with freshly ground nutmeg and black pepper and finished by adding a half pound of cooked penne.

In the end, this was a very satisfying and easy to make dish which we will surely replicate.  The cheeses worked well together with the simple white wine sauce.  Adding the sausage gave some variety and lent a meat portion to the dish.  The cost for six servings was probably less than the cost of one meal at a restaurant and it took about the same if not less time than going to a restaurant or getting delivery.

A good home cooked meal like this is satisfying, tasty and quick.  And shopping at Costco makes it an absolute bargain.

Dinner with Kirkland Signature Pesto on Pasta with Sabatino's Sausage and Normandy Vegetables- A True Costco Meal

We like to cook but sometimes it is nice to have a meal at home that you put together yourself but is also a real time saver.   That was this dinner.  I started by turning on the Griddler and getting it warm. At the same time I got the water boiling for the pasta.  For a sauce for the spaghetti I chose the Kirkland Signature Basil Pesto.  This is an excellent pesto at a great Costco price.

For the meat serving I chose the Sabatino's Smoked Mozzarella with Artichokes and Garlic Chicken Sausage. Being a chicken sausage they are somewhat lower in fat than beef or pork sausages but they taste great. They are also fully cooked so all you have to do is get them warm.  However we do like to brown them for maximum taste but that is your choice.  While I used our Griddler for quick indoor cooking these are also fabulous over a charcoal grill.

They were on sale at Costco earlier this year and we tried them in part because of that.  But we will definitely consider buying them again for their great taste and convenience.  They come in a three pound package with four smaller packages of four each for a total of 16 sausages.

For the vegetables we had some Kirkland Signature Normandy Style Vegetable Blend.  Having frozen veggies on hand is a nutritious and convenient strategy.  All you have to do is microwave them and you are ready to eat.

While we cooking the pasta I microwaved the veggies and grilled the sausage.  Dinner came together very quickly and easily.  And it was a breeze to serve.

This meal was complete with vegetables, meat and pasta.  It was also darn tasty too and pretty affordable.  Add in the fact that it came together in minutes make this a real winner for a weekday supper or an easy weekend lunch. Actually, it is a fine meal anytime but when you need some speed this really rocks!

Enjoy!