It’s summer time in the South. And, let me tell you, a southern summer is hot. Hot and humid. The kind of hot that you almost can’t get away from and the kind of humidity that clings to your skin and wilts your hair as soon as you set foot outside the air conditioned comfort of your home.
What I’m trying to say is that it’s been a brutal few days with temperatures in the 90′s and humidity to match. This kind of weather makes me not want to use the oven too very much, so I look for things that can be prepared quickly on the stovetop. And this recipe fits that description.
I came up with this a few months ago when I didn’t have any ground beef on hand to make my usual spaghetti sauce. I substituted a mild Italian sausage and the results were pretty darned good! I made it again recently and the reviews from young and old alike were positive. I’m sure your family might like it, too.
8 oz. pasta (any type of your choice)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. mild Italian sausage, casings removed
1 tblsp. olive oil
2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. You can use any shape of pasta you have on hand. This would work with tubes, ribbons, or string pastas. While the pasta cooks, prepare the sauce.
Dice the onion, mince the garlic and set them aside.
Remove the sausage from its casings. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add the sausage, stirring to break it up as it cooks. Drain the sausage if necessary, then add the onions and garlic. Stir well, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the onion has softened and the sausage is completely cooked through.
Add the tomatoes with their juice, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Cover and cook an additional 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes are nicely softened and beginning to break down.
Add the parmesan cheese and stir well to combine. The old green box parmesan works fine here, no need to use your expensive Parm in the sauce! Save that for the plate.
Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce. Stir everything together until the pasta is well combined. Serve with additional red pepper flakes and parmesan cheese, if desired.
Enjoy!
Pasta with a sauce of mild Italian sausage and tomatoes.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. pasta (any type of your choice)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. mild Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 tblsp. olive oil
- 2 cans diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Dice the onion, mince the garlic and set aside. Remove sausage from casings. Heat olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add sausage. Stir, breaking up sausage as it cooks. Drain the sausage if necessary. Add the onions and garlic. Stir well, cover and cook for 5-6 minutes or until the onion has softened and sausage is completely cooked through.
- Add the tomatoes with their juice, oregano, red pepper flakes and salt to taste. Cover and cook an additional 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes are nicely softened and beginning to break down.
- Add the parmesan cheese and stir well to combine. Drain the pasta and add to the pan with the sauce. Stir until pasta is well coated. Serve with additional red pepper flakes and Parmesan cheese.
{ 19 comments… read them below or add one }
Gorgeous! I call this “default pasta” because you are following your instincts. GREG
This pasta dish looks fantastic!
This looks delicious!
Looks great!!
It’s definitely stove top and slow cooker time of year here as well (CO). Looks yummy!
This looks so delicious. In fact I was going to make some veggie pasta tonight if I had time and your gorgeous photo has made me crave it even more!
This looks delicious and your photo is so pretty! I love Italian sausage in my pasta dishes :)
Thanks, Sues. It made for a nice change from the typical ground beef sauce.
Looks delish!
My parents often make their tomato sauce with sweet Italian sausage instead of ground meat. There is so much flavor in it. If he can’t find the bulk sausage, he will just remove the sausage from the casing and cook it up that way.
Lana, you would make a good Italian. Want to trade places with me for awhile? I could be the Southern girl I always wanted to be and you could take my place in New York and be the Italian woman you seem to have a bit of in you! :)
I know! What’s up with that? Born and grew up in a tiny rural south Georgia town where the only thing Italian we knew was spaghetti. Now, given the choice, I’ll pass right by a traditional southern homestyle restaurant and make a bee-line for the Italian one instead!
The Hubby just got back from a trip to Tennessee and said the humidity is brutal. It gets hot here (105 predicted today) but I thank God it’s a dry heat! Your pasta looks perfect for the dog days of Summer!
This reminds me of growing up! Looks amazing. My mom used to cook sausage and meat in her sauce…ooooh! Was so tender! ;)
Wow, Chris, that is high praise indeed! To be reminded of an Italian mother’s cooking :-) Thanks!
I found this recipe and made it for dinner this evening and just had to come back and say how delicious it is! I love simple recipes that pack a lot of flavor, and this one is amazing. I will definitely be making this one again and again.
I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe! It’s a favorite of ours, too.
This was awesome! My fiancé hates tomato&my 6yr old is a horrible eater he won’t eat anything, I had him try&he devoured it! Thank you :)
Fantastic! I’m so glad your family enjoyed the recipe.
It looks good but Lana can you tell me how much this recipe yields or how many servings it makes.
Thanks for asking. It makes 4 servings.
{ 2 trackbacks }