Spaghetti with Sausage and Simple Tomato Sauce

You have to appreciate a good pasta sauce that doesn't have you bent over a pot for four hours like Strega Nona. That's what interested me about this recipe. Inside of 30 minutes, you have sauce, meat and pasta. That's a wholesome meal before you can answer Bob the Builder's age-old question, "Can we build it?" The original recipe is from the April 2010 Cooking Light, but I tweaked it a bit.


Spaghetti with Sausage
and Simple Tomato Sauce


8 oz mild Italian turkey sausage
8 oz uncooked whole wheat spaghetti
1 (28-oz) can whole tomatoes, undrained
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
2 tbsp jarred, minced garlic
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh torn basil
1/2 cup shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Preheat broiler.

2. Arrange sausage on a small baking sheet. Broil sausage 5 minutes on each side or until done. Remove pan from oven (do not turn broiler off). Cut sausage into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange slices in a single layer on baking sheet. Broil sausage slices 2 minutes or until browned.

3. Cook pasta according to package directions.

4. Place tomatoes in a food processor/blender; process until almost smooth. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add crushed pepper and minced garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, and salt; cook 4 minutes or until slightly thick. Add sausage, half of the grated cheese, and half of the torn basil. Cook for an additional 4-5 minutes. Add pasta to pan; toss well. Top with remaining cheese and basil.



The Verdict: A really tasty sauce that has a slow-cooked flavor. Also great for leftovers.


Not much to say about this recipe. It was simple and good. Amir enjoys eating long noodles, so this was received well with the preschool crowd. The sauce can be prepared up to three days ahead; you may or may not want to add the sausage if you make it before hand, depending on how much of the sausage flavor you want infused in the sauce.

A salad would be a great accompaniment to this dish. But in this house, green and leafy unless hidden on pizza doesn't not go over well with the 2-year-old.