Sausage – The Louisville Chef

This is such an easy pasta to throw together and so rich and satisfying. Sometimes less is more and the basic ingredients can really sing when left to their own devices.

A bowl of rigatoni pasta topped with a rich tomato sauce, sprinkled with grated Pecorino Romano cheese and garnished with fresh basil.

Ingredients:

6 Italian Sausages, cubed, seared and drained.

1 lb of Pasta, tube like rigatoni is ideal

2 Tbsp Olive oil
1/4 tsp Oregano
1 Onion, minced
1 Carrot, minced
4-5 cloves Garlic, crushed with side of knife.
1-24 oz bottle of Passata
1 Bay Leaf

Fresh Basil
Pecorino Roman

Preparation:

Remove your sausage from its casing, and cube it, sear it in a pan until it starts to release some of its fat and break in into smaller pieces, then drain it.

To the same pan add your onion and garlic, and allow it to sauté and soften. Add back the sausage and your passata, bay leaf, oregano and cook for at least one hour. Then add your fresh basil and allow it to continue cooking until the oil separates. I prefer to add the basil later, as I feel if it cooks too long it loses flavor.

A pot filled with rigatoni pasta mixed with Italian sausage in a rich tomato sauce, garnished with fresh herbs.

Before you drain your pasta, remove about 1/2-3/4 of a cup of the pasta water. Drain your pasta and add it back to the pan with the reserved pasta water and allow it to finish cooking.

The addition of the pasta water really creates a silky sauce and will vastly improve the final dish. I find this to be true for most pasta dishes. I finished with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

This sauce is packed with flavor. The roasted peppers complement the Italian sausage well. I like to use a mix of peppers, but I find that green bell peppers are too bitter, so I omit them.

A pot of flavorful red sauce simmering with chunks of Italian sausage and bay leaves, showcasing a rich tomato base.

The only slightly time consuming part is the prep of the peppers, but if you do a few extra, you can use them for multiple dishes like salads and sandwiches.

Ingredients:

3 Bell Peppers, red, yellow and orange

2 Tbsp Olive oil

Oregano

6 Italian Sausages, mild or spicy, cubed, seared and drained.

1 Onion, minced

1 Carrot, minced

1 stalk Celery, minced

4-5 cloves Garlic, crushed with side of knife.

1 24 oz bottle of Passata

1 Bay Leaf

Pecorino Romano

Preparation:

Preheat your oven to 375°F, cut your peppers in half, and take away the stems. Place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper skin side down and brush them with olive oil and sprinkle them with salt, pepper and a pinch of oregano. Bake them until well roasted. It usually takes about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove them and allow them to cool.

Remove your sausage from its casing, and cube it, sear it in a pan until it starts to release some of its fat and then drain it.

To the same pan add your onion, carrot, and celery and garlic, and allow it to sauté and soften. This is your soffritto.

Add back the sausage and your passata and bay leaf and cook for at least one to two hours.

Serve with pasta of your choice, but tube pasta is a good option. I finished with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Tag: Sausage

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