Chunks of Italian sausage (I use healthier chicken or turkey versions) make this pasta sauce recipe hearty and satisfying. It takes very little time to make this sauce, which means you can devote your energy to cranking out hand-rolled fettuccine to serve it with. Alternately, Al Dente Pasta makes a wonderful whole-wheat fettuccine that tastes (almost) as good as homemade.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, minced
- 3 links Italian sausage (preferably turkey or chicken), sliced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1/4 cup red wine
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 pound fettuccine pasta, homemade or dried
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese
Preparation:
- For the pasta, fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Meanwhile, in a saucier pan or a medium saucepot, heat olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Add onion and sausage and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft and translucent and sausage is cooked through (or heated through and lightly browned, if you're using precooked sausage).
- Add the garlic to the onion mixture and cook, stirring frequently, for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and red wine. Stir to combine. Simmer over medium-low heat for 20 minutes.
- When pasta water boils, add a handful of kosher salt (about 2 tablespoons) and cook pasta according to package directions. Homemade pasta cooks for only about 2 to 3 minutes, until al dente. Drain pasta completely.
- To serve, place some pasta in a pasta bowl and top with sauce. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
This Tomato and Italian Sausage Pasta Sauce Recipe serves 4 people.
