I've been making this pasta recipe for YEARS and it's always a crowd pleaser. The great thing is that it's super easy to make. The sauce only takes 30 minutes to make but it tastes like you've slaved over it all day. It's the perfect red sauce Sunday supper dinner. Pair it with some crusty bread and get ready for an epic "carb night".
Recipe
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 pound sweet Italian sausage, remove from casings
3 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
2-28 ounce cans unsalted crushed plum tomatoes (I like the Trader Joe's one)
3 ounce tomato paste
1 tablespoon Better than Bouillon Chicken
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons basil, julienned
1 pound spaghetti
Directions:
Use a dutch oven or large stock pot and use medium-high heat. Once the pot is hot, add the olive oil. Add the onions and garlic. Sauté for 5-7 minutes until soft. Add the sausage and break it up with a wood spoon. Once the sausage is cooked all the way through, add the sage and red pepper flakes. Sauté for a couple minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, tomato paste, and Better than Bouillon, stir the sauce once it comes to a boil, lower the heat to a low simmer for 25 minutes, stirring it every so often so the bottom doesn't burn. Add salt and pepper to taste. I like my sauce on the peppery side so I use quite a bit. Up to you. If the sauce tastes more on the acidic side, you can always add a little bit of sugar. Before serving the sauce, add the basil.
Cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain the spaghetti and reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water to the tomato sauce. This helps to better bind the sauce to the pasta. Add the cooked spaghetti to the sauce and mix everything together over low heat in the pot. If the sauce looks too thick, add some of the remaining pasta water. Taste the pasta and if it needs more salt or pepper, add it. It's ready to serve up. If you like parmesan cheese, make it rain.
Serves 4 hungry people.