Cassie’s Ruminations

Spaghetti with Italian Sausage Red Sauce

This was a quick and easy meal. I got some great locally made chicken Italian sausage (made by Isernio’s Sausage). It’s very lean and quite tasty. If you use regular Italian sausage, you might want to drain the skillet before starting to make the sauce.

Spaghetti with Italian Sausage Red Sauce
Serves 4

1 lb spaghetti
4 links Italian sausage (about 12-14 oz)
1 tsp olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, pressed
2 cans diced tomatoes, 15 oz each
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp black pepper

Boil the spaghetti in a large pot of salted water. As the pasta cooks, prepare the sausage and sauce.

Place the sausage in a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan and cover the skillet. Steam the sausage for 5 minutes or until plumped. Remove the cover and add 1 tsp of olive oil. Let the water boil off and brown the sausage on all sides. Remove the sausage to a plate and add the garlic to the skillet. Cook for 10-20 seconds or until fragrant. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and seasonings and stir to combine. Cut the sausage links into quarters and return to the sauce. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Drain the pasta well. Serve sauce over the pasta.