I don’t know if I’ve written about this before—and in case I have, this will just be another version or a “re-run”—but sometimes I like making up a really quick pasta supper that leaves out the “red sauce” but still packs a lot of flavor.
This is a simple, minimalist dish with some really good flavor. Even better it uses stuff that I pretty much always have in the pantry and fridge—Italian sausage with peppers, onions and tomatoes over pasta. This has a lightness to it that makes it really terrific during the summer and start to finish takes less than 30 minutes to make. Plus, by leaving out the spaghetti sauce it’s a bit healthier too.
I’m using long spaghetti with this but I’ve also made it and put it on top of stone ground yellow cheese grits too. Both are really tasty. (Note: I first did this a year or so ago and only have a couple of photos).
And hey, if you don’t want to use any meat at all, this is tasty as a vegetarian meal–if you want to add some zucchini or other veggies, feel free. And, if you don’t have Italian sausage feel free to use brats or ground beef, turkey sausage, soy/tofu–whatever you want. Cheap Bastid’s recipes are “suggestions” more than “prescriptions”. So here goes:
Recipe: Italian Sausage, Pasta and 10 Minute Sauce
Summary: Here’s an “Italian” classic that’s quick, light and tasty.
Ingredients
- 2-3 Italian sausages (sweet or spicy—most “spicy” ones aren’t that hot so I add chili flakes to the mix)
- 3 Roma tomatoes
- 1 green bell pepper (cut into 1 ½” strips)
- 1 red bell pepper (cut into 1 ½” strips)
- 1 cup of onion in strips (cut in strips)
- 1-2 cloves garlic (to taste)
- ¼ cup wine or sherry
- Salt
- Pepper
- Basil
- Chili flakes
- 1 lb spaghetti
Instructions
- Cut sausages into 1 1/2 inch hunks (note: I like to cut in half lengthwise too—it makes for more “bites” of sausage).
- Cut peppers & onion into strips and chop the tomatoes. Mince the garlic too if you’re using whole (Cheap Bastid uses chopped garlic in the jar from Gilroy).
- Get out a large skillet and a pot for pasta.
- Heat skillet over medium high and toss in the sausage. Turn heat down just a skosh. Brown the sausage.
- Put about a half gallon of water in your spaghetti pot and put it on to boil.
- When cooked remove sausage with slotted spoon reserving the fat.
- Salt the spaghetti water and add the pasta when it comes to a boil. Turn that down just a skosh too.
- Reheat skillet over medium and put in peppers, onion and garlic. If needed add a tablespoon of cooking oil (canola or olive).
- Saute the veggies for 2-3 minutes just until they start to soften then add the tomatoes, salt & pepper, chili flakes and basil.
- When tomatoes soften put the sausage back in and taste the concoction. Adjust seasonings if needed. Turn heat down to low.
- As soon as the pasta is al dente remove it from the heat and drain. Add about a tablespoon of oil to the finished pasta.
- Then put the pasta in the skillet with the sausage and sauce. Mix everything together and serve. (Or you can keep the pasta and sauce separate for individual servings if you want).
Preparation time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking time: 15 minute(s)
Number of servings (yield): 4
My rating 5 stars: ★★★★★ 1 review(s)
This is a nice, tasty, light summery pasta dish. The sauce doesn’t get “heavy”, that’s what I really like about it. It’s all fresh and can be cooked in just a few minutes.
Cheap Bastid Test: How’d Italian Sausage Pasta and 10 minute sauce do with a budget? Well, 4 Italian sausages are about a pound and I buy it for $2.29 a pound. The tomatoes are about a pound and they’re $.77 a pound. The peppers cost about $1 and the onion about $.25. Barilla pasta was on special for $1. So, the total for a dinner for 4 or dinner for 2 and lunch for 3 was $5.24. Add a nice salad to this and maybe some garlic toast and you’ve got a feast for about another buck. That’s pretty good! How much would this be at Romano’s Macaroni Grill, Olive Garden or Bucca de Beppa? About $12 to $15 per person?
That’s the Cheap Bastid way! Eat good. Eat cheap. Be grateful.
Yummy as usual Walter.. Craving the gluten said the celiac..:)