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Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes & Italian Sausage
Contributed by: Melinda
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 lb. Italian Sausages (about 6 standard sized sausages) skins removed
4 - 5 cups fresh tomatoes, peeled and chopped
4 - 6 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes
3/4 cup fruity red wine such as good Zinfandel
1 lb. Whole Wheat thin spaghetti or angel hair
1/2 cup coarsly chopped fresh basil leaves
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
- Break up raw Italian Sausage adding some salt (1/2 tsp) in a skillet (preferably not a non-stick skillet)* and brown on medium high heat until caramalized and cooked through.
Continue to break up as it cooks. You should end up with a great
caramalization in the bottom of the pan by the time te sausage is fully cooked. This is desirable.
- Add chopped garlic and red pepper flakes and cook about 1 - 2 minutes longer, stirring. Don't overcook.
- Add red wine and rub a wooden spoon or spatula over the base of the pan to scrape up and dissolve the caramalization into the sauce.
- Once the pan is deglazed, you can turn it off until ready to proceed, or proceed immediately.
- If your tomatoes aren't very ripe, they can be peeled easily by pricking the skin in a couple of spots and dropping them into boiling water for about 2 minutes. Transfer immediately to ice water, remove and peel.
- Chop the tomatoes coarsly and add to the sausage mixture over medium - medium high heat. You want the sauce to cook down, but don't lose all the moisture. You'll finish cooking the pasta in the sauce.
- Add salt to taste (I usually add another 1/2 tsp or so)
- Place 1 lb. pasta into rapidly boiling water with approximately 1/2 tsp. salt added. Boil for 5 minutes, drain through colander.
- Transfer sauce to the pasta cooking pot, or any heavy duty large pot.
- Add cooked pasta and basil to the sauce and continue cooking for several minutes, until pasta is cooked to your taste.
- Remove to a serving bowl and garnish with additional Basil julienne if you wish.
You can add as much or little pasta to the sauce as you like according to your sauce
preferences. Genuine italian pastas don't swim in sauce, and that is how this recipe works out. Because you're finishing the pasta in the sauce, much of the sauce
flavor is absorbed into the spaghetti during the final moments of cooking.
I use American Beauty Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat Blend Thin Spaghetti for this recipe. You can use any whole wheat pasta you like. Or use plain white flour pasta if you prefer. The Whole Wheat adds
great flavor.
*Skillets - I think using a regular skillet or fry pan produces a better caramalization than non-stick versions do. You can add a little bit of oil to the pan before browning if
your sausage is extremely lean.
Questions about this recipe?
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= 30 minutes or less