I make this recipe with two types of sausage: vegetarian (tofu) Italian sausage for me, and Italian turkey sausage for my boyfriend. Use one, both, or pork, if you like.
The recipe comes from Everyday Pasta by Giada de Laurentiis (except for the veggie sausage), but I halve the recipe to make it for two and use a bit less pasta. We still have leftovers! You can also forget the pasta and serve on some nice rolls to make sandwiches.
Ingredients:
2 TBSP extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tofurky vegetarian Italian sausages, sliced
3 sweet Italian turkey sausage (or 2 more Tofurky or use pork if you like)
1 bell pepper, sliced
1 yellow onion, sliced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cloves chopped garlic
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1 TBSP tomato paste
1/2 cup Marsala wine
8 oz. canned diced tomatoes with juice
pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
6 oz. dried rigatoni
freshly grated Parmesan cheese for garnish
Since you'll be adding bunches of ingredients together at different times, it's a good idea to be organized. Here's my set-up:
Put sliced onions, peppers, salt, and pepper together.
Chopped garlic, dry oregano, and fresh basil go together.
Wine and diced tomatoes together. (Sorry no picture)
First add 1Tablespoon oil to a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on all sides. About 20 minutes. (Less for the veggie sausage which should be cut up before cooking.) I use a separate pan for each type of sausage. While the sausages cook I do my chopping an organizing.
Remove the sausage from the pan(s). Add the peppers, onion, black pepper and salt to the large skillet. Cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano,and basil and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir until incorporated. It'll look something like this:
Add the Marsala, tomatoes, and red pepper flakes. Stir and scrape bottom of pan to loosen any bits that have stuck. Add the sliced, cooked sausages and let simmer until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. This is a good time to cook the pasta unless you're making sandwiches.
When your pasta is done, add to the sauce and mix it up. Spoon onto plates and sprinkle with Parmesan.

















