orzo w/ sausage, peppers & tomatoes #gourmetcreations #cbias

So I've been doing this monthly meal plan thing for almost a week now and I love it! It has helped my sanity since I already know what we're having for dinner and I have all the ingredients in the house. Last night I made orzo with sausage, peppers and tomatoes.
I didn't use just any ol' sausage though, I used new Hillshire Farm Gourmet Creations Sausage. Can you say "yum"?

I found 4 different flavors at Walmart but went with the Sweet Italian style since I have to have sweet sausage and John is Italian so "that's all we can have in the house" haha. I've made a Google+ story to document my shopping experience so check it out! :)
Other options were Beef & Bacon, Beef & Jalapeno, and Chicken Apple.

Each flavor option is made with premium meats and no artificial flavors, no artifical colors or by-products. I hardely ever buy sausage because I never know what meat is actually in it. I was glad to purchase this sausage because the first ingredient was pork.

Slice (or chunk like I do) red peppers and soften in olive oil for a few minutes then set aside on a pate. In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken stock, water, and salt to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes is pretty perfect.

While the pasta is cooking: In a large skillet (I used the same one I cooked the peppers in), heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the Gourmet Creations Sausage and saute until cooked through, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the peppers, tomatoes (drained), and red pepper flakes, if using, and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the liquid, and transfer to a large serving bowl. Add the sausage mixture, 1 tablespoon of the parsley, and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Toss well to combine all ingredients, adding reserved liquid, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Sprinkle with the remaining parsley. Serve.

INGREDIENTS
2 red bell peppers

1 pound orzo pasta

3 cups chicken stock

3 cups water
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil

1 package (4 links) Hillshire Farm Gourmet Creations Sausage

1 clove garlic, minced

1 can fire roasted diced tomatoes

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias. All opinions about the yummy sausage I tried are my own!