Sausage and peppers rigatoni is where it’s at! Sweet bell peppers, fragrant fennel sausage, onions, Sicilian oregano, and olive oil. A winning combination at any time. But throw in some tomatoes, Pecorino Romano, fresh basil, and toss it all together with pasta and you’ve got a crazy good super easy meal that pleases even the pickiest eaters.
Serves 6
INGREDIENTS
1 pound rigatoni or penne, ziti, etc
1 ½ pounds Italian sausage
⅜ cup extra virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic sliced
2 large red bell peppers or any color you like, sliced
2 large green bell peppers or any color you like, sliced
1 large onion sliced
¾ cup water for steaming veggies
3 ounces tomato paste
1 28 ounce can plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
2 teaspoons Sicilian oregano or Italian oregano
salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup Pecorino Romano grated
¼ cup basil leaves hand torn
1 cup reserved pasta water will not need all of it
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 450f. Roast the sausage links for approximately 25 (flipping halfway through) minutes or until cooked through and browned. Slice the sausage on a bias into ½” thick pieces once cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, heat a very large pan to medium-low and add the olive oil and garlic. Once the garlic turns golden add the peppers and onions and mix to coat with the oil. Pour the water into the pan, cover, and cook over medium heat until soft.
At this time bring a large pot of salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt per gallon) to boil.
After 15 minutes of cooking, remove the lid from the peppers and continue to cook over medium heat until most of the water evaporates and the peppers are very soft.
Once the water has mostly evaporated, add the tomato paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Next, add the crushed plum tomatoes and bring the sauce to a simmer.
Add the sliced sausage links to the sauce and continue to simmer. Season the sauce with the oregano and begin to boil the pasta.
Cook the pasta to 1 minute less than al dente, drain and add to the sauce. Cook until the pasta is just al dente then turn off the heat. Taste test the sauce and season with salt, pepper, and more oregano if desired to taste. Add the Pecorino and stir to incorporate. Finish with hand-torn basil and serve immediately. If the pasta is at all dry add a couple of ounces of reserved pasta water to loosen it up.
Note:
– If the pasta dries out at all just add a touch of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up and mix well before serving.
