I have been happily married for over 30 years and believe that we have enjoyed each other’s companionship for I want to say almost 36 or 37 years now. (If only I could remember the year Tootsie married Max and I showed up to the wedding, Will in tow, shocking most of my family!). I have always been drawn to all things Italy: pasta, olives, cannoli’s, limoncello, expresso, Tony’s Pizza back home with their panzerottis, the boot on the map, the Pope and most recently Chianti lol. Seriously, I think I grew up believing that I was actually Italian rather than Hungarian, and to this day, I still gravitate to food of Italian origin. I am grateful that our best friends from Ontario are first generation Italian and I have learned and loved so much from Restaurant Kuti over the years.
I have a hundred Italian recipes I could share with you. So far I think i have only posted my Pesto Pasta with Shrimp. I have so many pasta recipes that I have clipped and saved over the years. Despite the fact my husband begs for pasta with Ragu sauce on a regular basis, I am still always on the hunt for a new recipe to try out. Thank goodness Ragu is no longer sold in Canada and that has spurred me to master a simple but all day simmer tomato sauce that Will will actually eat (now that we cannot find his beloved Ragu).
I think if you asked me, the basic Alfredo is my favorite sauce. But again, because I enjoy all things Italian, I am not afraid to try different sauces or dishes from time to time. Or modify the basic with a twist: Alfredo with shrimp, mushrooms, onions and pea pods. Again, to me, that’s the beauty of cooking vs baking. You can easily modify and spice up a basic recipe.
Summer is upon us and with that comes sweet fresh peppers from the garden. It made me think of one of my old favorite quick and easy meals: Sausage and Peppers Pasta. It’s a family friendly dinner that you can whip up pretty darn quick (30 minutes I would say) and it can be modified for the pallets in your family. You like spicey, use spicy sausage. If your like me and not so much a lover of the heat, use a sweet sausage. Or not sure and feeling a bit wild? Try a combination of both. I also think that if you wanted a bit more heat to this recipe, hitting it with a pinch of fresh or dried chili peppers would give you the flavour you are looking for.
Try this easy recipe out and tell me what you think. And as I am always up for suggestions, tell me if your looking for another kind of Italian recipe. Just leave me a comment and I will see what I can dig up to share.
Next food post: Mexican!
Bon appétit!
Ingredients
Method
- Cook penne per instructions, drain and set aside.
- Heal oil in heavy large skillet. Add garlic (minced or sliced thinly) and cook until translucent, about 1 minute. Be careful not to burn.
- Cut sausage in 1 inch pieces. Add to garlic and cook until browned, about 8 minutes.
- Add peppers and onions, and cook until almost tender (about 5 min) stirring occasionally.
- Add can of tomatoes, with juices, basil and oregano. Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover and simmer about 8 to 10 minutes.
- Pour over pasta and toss.
- Serve, topped with grated parmesan as desired.
Notes
- try removing the sausage from the casing before cutting
- mix the peppers up if you like with what you have on hand
- serve this up family style in a large serving dish with fresh bread and a salad on the side for a quick and yummy meal
5 thoughts on “A Should of Married into the Mob … for the love of pasta and all things Italian”
I’d love a good pasta salad recipe for summer!
I make one that is an oil based sauce and the noodles just soak up the oil and I find I need to apply more sauce before serving. Drives me nuts!
I started playing with a honey/mustard/dill/Mayo sauce last year and loved it. I should try it again with your not-so-secret Mayo!
I have a few. A basic one using mayo and then another one that is “Italian” inspired with salami, pepperoncini and the works. That one is easy and just uses a basic dressing. I will dig them up!
I’d love a good pasta salad recipe for summer!
I make one that is an oil based sauce and the noodles just soak up the oil and I find I need to apply more sauce before serving. Drives me nuts!
I started playing with a honey/mustard/dill/Mayo sauce last year and loved it. I should try it again with your not-so-secret Mayo!
This looks very tasty definitely going to try this. Still looking for your potato salad recipe lol!
I will work on that one. I can’t give away all my secrets though or no one will come to my bbq’s!
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