Smoky Chipotle Pasta Salad

Today's post is going to be short and sweet, because after spending an enjoyable summer in D.C. I'm going home!! As you can tell, I'm quite excited.

Though I had initially been a bit reluctant (and a little bit of a brat) to give up my dreams of a sunny beach summer, I admit that leaving DC will be a smidge bittersweet. Returning to an urban area has reminded me of the joys of public transportation, eclectic & ethnic eateries, and of course, the ability to walk to a destination beyond my mailbox.


Beyond the perks of city living, life in the kitchen is sure to improve. I'm ecstatic to be reunited with my KitchenAid mixer, my pots & pans, and of course all of my baking tools. Having a little counter space never hurt either. I was getting burnt out on baking muffins week after week and using Tupperware, stock pots, or any other cylindrical object I could locate as my mixing bowls.

As I'm leaving for the airport in just a few short hours, I decided to do one last roundup of the kitchen and use the leftover ingredients lingering in the kitchen: 1/2 box of pasta, chipotle peppers in adobo sauce from the quinoa chili, 1/4 cup of frozen mixed veggies, some stray lemons and wilted cilantro, 1 clove of garlic and 1 link of sweet Italian sausage...a motley crew to be sure.

I thought of making a hot pasta dish, but instead settled on a pasta salad combining all of the ingredients above. It's truly a clear the pantry type of recipe, so feel free to modify with what you have on hand. If I were to make this again, I would use fresh corn as opposed to the mixed veggies. I'd also use cilantro that didn't look like it was on its last leg! The pasta tastes best at room temperature so that it stays nice & creamy.

Once I get settled back into the house, I'm sure I'll begin cooking up a storm and have plenty of recipes to share.

Smoky Chipotle Pasta Salad
2 cups uncooked pasta
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 -2 sweet Italian sausages (I only had one but would use two next time)
1/2 of a chipotle pepper in adobo, minced
1/2 cup frozen mixed vegetables or corn
1/2 cup mayonaise
1/2 juice of a lemon
1 teaspoon adobo sauce
1/4 teaspoon brown sugar
salt & pepper to taste
olive oil
handful of cilantro, chopped

1. Cook pasta per directions on box and drain
2. In a medium skillet, heat olive oil and saute garlic clove for 1 minute
3. Add in frozen vegetables and the chopped chipotle pepepr and stir. If needed, add a little water to help the veggies cook.
4. Once cooked, remove vegetables from the pan and cook the sausage in the same pan. Slice the sausage once browned & cooked until no longer pink, about 7-9 minutes
5. In a medium bowl, combine mayonaise, lemon, adobo sauce, brown sugar and salt and pepper.
6. Add veggies, pasta and sausage to the bowl. Toss gently and sprinkle cilantro on top.