This is my first year living off campus as a commuter, so I’m just getting used to grocery shopping for myself and cooking my own meals at home. Being a broke college student does not help the situation much either, but I find that adding my own style to some variations of TikTok recipes is something that has been working for me. One of my favorite recipes I started making is just too good not to share with you. It’s easy to make, budget-friendly, and the taste makes the work so worth it!
- Boil your favorite pasta in salted water until al dente according to package instructions (my favorite is bowtie), then set it to the side after straining out the pasta water
- Cut 4 Spicy Jalapeno chicken sausages (al fresco brand) into coin shapes. They can be as thin or thick as you like. After spraying a large pan with cooking spray, cook the sausages on medium-high heat for approximately 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are golden brown and warm all the way through
- After removing the sausages from the pan, add a jar of your favorite alfredo sauce and 1 cup of lower-sodium chicken broth to the same pan and cook that on medium-high for a few minutes until it begins to develop a light boil
- Next, season your sauce with 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp smoked paprika, and ¼ tsp cayenne. Also, add ½ cup of shredded mozzarella cheese to this mixture and stir together until the sauce is fully incorporated
- Finally, add the cooked pasta and sausages back into the pan with the sauce, stir everything together, and top with a little more mozzarella cheese (I love to add grated parmesan cheese here too)
- Feel free to garnish this meal with more parmesan cheese, parsley flakes, and crushed red pepper flakes for some extra heat
This recipe makes approximately 4 servings, and each serving of this meal is packed with around 35 grams of protein and is only 450-490 calories. I prefer chicken sausage over regular sausage because the ingredients are healthier, but either option is perfect for this recipe. I hope you give this a try for yourself at home and share it with your friends and family. Happy cooking!