Penne Pasta with Spicy Tomato Sauce & Italian Sausage
Active time:
60 min
Total time:
60–90 min
Serves:
4–6
The red pepper flakes make this dish “angry” (arrabbiata), and it will very likely be a delight to your taste buds.
Chef's notes
Don’t forget a crusty baguette, crisp green salad, and your favorite red wine!
**note: saving some of the juice of the tomatoes comes in handy for the deglazing process, and for thinning the sauce, should it become thicker than you prefer.
Steps
1
Preparing the Sauce
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
3, 12-14.8 oz. cans of diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add the olive oil. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute to release the garlic’s fragrance. Add 1 Tbs. of the parsley and cook for a few seconds, then add the tomatoes, including 2 1/2 cans of the juice. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer briskly, stirring often, until the tomatoes break down and form a medium-thick sauce, about 45 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Reduce heat to low simmer.
2
Cooking the Sausage
Ingredients
3 links Italian Sausage (not sweet or spicy, just plain Italian Sausage is best)
In the mean time, heat a medium sauce pan or skillet, then add 1 Tbs. olive oil, add Italian Sausage that has been removed from its casing and broken into bite size bits. Cook over medium heat until browned. When fully cooked, drained and rinsed, add the sausage to the pasta sauce towards the end of its cooking time. Deglaze the sausage pan by placing a bit of the reserved tomato juice in it, stir, and add to sauce mixture.
3
Cooking the pasta and serving suggestions
Ingredients
1/2 lb. dried penne pasta
½ to ¾ cup finely grated Reggiano Parmesan cheese
1 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
Bring a large pot three-fourths full of lightly salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta, stir well and cook until al dente (tender but firm to the bite), about 12 minutes or according to the package.
Drain the pasta. Return the pasta to the warm pot. Add the pasta sauce and toss. Add 1/4 cup of the Reggiano Parmesan cheese and toss again. Divide among warmed pasta bowls. Top each portion with equal amounts of the remaining 1/4 cup cheese and the remaining 1 Tbs. parsley. Serve immediately.
