Sunday Dinner: Pasta Abruzzese Edition

I cheated a little bit tonight. Instead of selecting a new or time consuming recipe to try out on Sunday (when I have the time), I ended up going with a recipe that a) I’ve made before and b) is not very difficult. For whatever reason, I’ve been pretty tired lately and since we have a lot of things coming up in the next few weeks (including two out of town weddings) I decided that this was going to be a down weekend. No huge plans, not a lot of effort…the epitome of low key. Which is how I would characterize this recipe for Pasta Abruzzese from Rachel Ray (love her or hate her, a lot of her early 30 Minute Meal recipes—especially the Italian influenced ones-- are actually pretty good).

In almost the time it takes to boil a pot of water and cook some rigatoni, you can make a flavorful sauce of fennel, onion, garlic, sausage, and crushed tomatoes. It’s fast, it’s easy and it’s good….any day of the week.


Pasta Abruzzese
Adapted from Rachel Ray

Ingredients:
2 hot Italian sausages (I use chicken sausages to cut down on the fat but you can use whatever you prefer)
1 fennel bulb, finely diced
1 small Spanish onion, finely diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup chopped basil
12 ounces of tublar pasta—rigatoni, penne, etc.
Salt and Pepper

1.Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. Squeeze sausages out of their casings and brown, using a spoon to break it up. Remove from pan and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
2.Depending on the amount fat in the sausages, you may or may not need to add some olive oil to the pan (just want to make sure you have a thin layer of sausage grease or olive oil to cook the vegetables in). Add fennel, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.
3.Add tomatoes and chicken broth. Bring to a boil. Add sausage and half of the basil. Lower to a simmer.
4.Meanwhile cook pasta according to package directions. Let sauce simmer until pasta is ready. Drain pasta and add to the sauce. Add remaining basil and toss to coat. Serve with grated parmesan.