Rigatoni With Italian Sauge

Pasta is my favorite comfort food. I would eat pasta for lunch and dinner, at least four times a week, if I could. Pasta is versatile, and just goes with everything. It’s great in vegan dishes, vegetarian dishes, seafood, and meat recipes.

This dish is a nice twist on the traditional spaghetti and meat sauce. I love rigatoni because it acts like a sauce vessel that cradles the rich tomato meat sauce. It’s so good. Not too spicy, doesn’t have any “weird” ingredients the kids might balk at – it’s just delicious comfort food at its best.

Ingredients

• 1/2 pound uncooked rigatoni
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 pound Italian sausage with casing removed
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup beef broth or red wine
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 8-ounce can tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped basil
• parmesan cheese or grated non-dairy cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Add garlic and onions, and sauté for about 2 minutes, just until the onions are translucent.
4. Add ground sausage to skillet and stir until fully cooked, about 5 minutes.
5. Add beef broth or wine and scrap browned sausage bits off the bottom of the skillet.
6. Add tomatoes and tomato paste, stir all ingredients well, turn heat down to low-medium and simmer for at least 10 minutes.
7. Add cooked pasta and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water to the skillet and stir all ingredients until the pasta is coated with the sauce. If needed, add more reserve water to create a sauce consistency to your liking.
8. Remove from heat. Sprinkle parsley and/or cheese just before serving.