Apple Chicken Sausage Pasta

I have made this a few times. I'm not sure how I really came up with it. But it's really yummy, and a great Fall dish. It can be done in about 30 minutes, but I also figured out a way to prep most of it the night before. 

Servings: About 4 adult sized and 2 toddler sized

Ingredients:

• 1 12 oz package of Apple Chicken Sausage (I have used a couple of brands, but my favorite is al fresco.)
• Olive oil
• 1 small sweet onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and chopped into about 1/2" pieces (We usually have Gala on hand.)
• 1 tsp sage
• 1 tsp thyme
• 14 oz apple juice or cider
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 6 oz frozen peas
• 1/2 lb pasta (Use whatever shape you want. I wouldn't use spaghetti or something long like that, though. Penne or Rotini work well.)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Slice sausages into about 1/4" thick slices. Saute in a large skillet over medium heat until cooked through (if not using fully cooked sausages) and slightly browned. Remove sausage from skillet.

Discard all but about 1-2 tbsp of the remaining fat. If needed add some olive oil (to get to 1-2 tbsp of fat/oil). Saute onions over medium heat until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

Add apple, sage, and thyme, and continue to cook until apples begin to soften. Return the sausage to the pan. Add apple juice or cider, vinegar, and peas and simmer until the peas are cooked and the liquid is reduced by about half.

If preparing the night before, stop here and just put the "sauce" in the refrigerator until you're ready to fix dinner the next day.

Meanwhile, prepare the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve about a cup of the pasta water for the sauce. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. (My skillet isn't big enough, but if yours is, you can scoop the pasta directly into the skillet from your pot without reserving the pasta water or draining.) Add the sauce and stir to combine. If the pasta seems dry, add some of the reserved pasta water. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!