Sun-dried tomato, artichoke, and kielbasa pasta

There are a lot of foods that my parents have tried to make me eat over the course of my youth to the point where I would never eat it on principle. One such food was artichokes or, more specifically, my mother's artichoke dip.

I have discovered in recent years that I will, as a mature and curious adult, try such foods (but only if they're presented to me by someone other than my parents). In such a way I have grown to enjoy sushi, avocado, caramelized onions, and many such other things.

And such it was when my roommate first handed me a plate of pasta mixed with sun dried tomatoes and artichoke hearts. I was wary, but willing to try it; and to my surprise I found the combination absolutely delightful. I have even endeavored to modify the concoction into the following recipe, which I would like to share.

Things you will need:

Per serving-
Sun dried tomatoes - 5-6pcs
Artichoke hearts - 2 quartered chunks
Kielbasa (optional*) - about a quarter link
whole wheat pasta (I'm a fan of rotini for this) - 2oz
parmesan cheese (optional) - to taste

*Omitting the kielbasa makes this a pretty awesome vegetarian dish; it can definitely stand on its own. If you're not a vegetarian, the kielbasa is still a great addition. I really enjoy the flavor combination when you get all four major ingredients on your fork at the same time :D


Set a good sized pot of water on a back burner at high heat to boil. If you add a little salt and olive oil to the water I find that it boils a little faster, adds to the taste, and helps keep the pasta from sticking together later on.

Slice up your sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, and kielbasa. I like to go pretty thin on the kielbasa slices. Throw the tomatoes and artichoke into a large pan with some of the oil from your jar of tomatoes and cook for a few minutes on medium heat.

Once your water is boiling, toss in the whole wheat pasta, return to boil, and boil for whatever time is noted on the package (probably around nine minutes).

Add your sliced kielbasa to the pan to cook with the tomatoes and artichoke. At this point I like to throw some parmesan cheese into the mix, but that's 100% optional.

Once your pasta is done cooking, drain the water and add it to the pan with all the other ingredients. Toss and cook for about another two minutes, then serve. You can sprinkle a little more parmesan cheese over the top if you like.