Spicy Sausage Rigatoni

[asphaltcowgrrl]

I had originally started this entire post with a rant but I deleted it.  I'm trying to be a happier person this year, but I'm also currently sick AF and should be at home but payroll and crap so I can't.  So, I just got rid of it.  *sigh*  Count yourself lucky. :)

Now, for the happy portion of this post.  I found a recipe over the weekend for a Spicy Sausage Rigatoni and finally made it for dinner last night.  It was cold, rainy, and I was sick, so a hot bowl of pasta and some garlic bread sounded perfect.  And you know what?  It turned out to be the best (second only to Rachael Ray's Vodka Sauce) red sauce I've ever made.  Even the vegetarian version I made for my older girl got a double thumbs up.  Link to source is at the end of the post.

Note: I couldn't find the Barefoot Rich Red Blend, so I went with the only thing close I could find - Cocobon Red Blend.  You can, of course, substitute beef stock in place of the wine if you prefer.

Spicy Sausage Rigatoni

Ingredients

1 tablespoon oil or butter

half of a yellow onion, minced

4 carrots, minced

12 ounces spicy Italian sausage (casings removed ­ just the ground meat)

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1½ teaspoons salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ cup Barefoot Rich Red Blend

1 28 ounce can San Marzano tomatoes, including their juice

¼ cup balsamic or Italian dressing (optional)

1 lb. whole wheat rigatoni

½ cup reserved pasta water

Parmesan and parsley or basil for topping

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion and carrots ­saute for 10 minutes or so, until the vegetables are very soft.

2. Add the ground sausage, oregano, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. When the sausage is fully cooked, add the wine to get the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.

3. Add the tomatoes and dressing ­ simmer for 10­20 minutes while the pasta is cooking.

4. Cook the pasta according to package directions. When draining, reserve ½ cup of the cooking water. Combine the pasta, the sauce, and the reserved water and toss gently to combine. Transfer to a large serving dish and top with Parmesan and parsley or basil. Serve with more Barefoot Rich Red Blend!

Recipe by Pinch of Yum at http://pinchofyum.com/spicy­sausage­rigatoni

Comments

[haldoor.livejournal.com]

I'm assuming the Barefoot Rich Red Blend and Cocobon Red Blend are the wines? (Non-American over here assumes they're common where you are?) I know nothing of wines anyway and would probably be using beef stock were I to make it! And now I have this vision of you pouring wine for the recipe and then guzzling from the bottle, but I'm sure you're more refined than that (I'm sure you'd put it in a glass at least)!!! ;-P

It does sound delicious, so I'm glad it turned out well for you! I hope you feel better soon; there's nothing worse than having to work when you're sick (well, I'm sure there are worse things, but you know what I mean!). *hugs*

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

I apologize - I thought I'd put 'wine' in that note, sorry! And 99.9% of the time, I use stock in place of wine, too because I'm not a wine drinker at all (and I hate spending money on something I'm going to mostly throw out). But, my 15-year-old insisted because she was curious about what it tasted like (my in-laws are wine drinkers). I figure quash the curiosity in my presence, right? Oddly enough, she turned it down when offered. DOH.

It was really very good, I was impressed with myself. :D And thank you - I'm sure I'll be better soon! (And you're right, but I do know what you mean!)

[skyesurfer12.livejournal.com]

Hey, this sounds delicious. I'm always looking for a good pasta dish like this in the winter. Since I'm not a red wine drinker but get bottles as gifts from time, I also look for ways I can open one up and use it for a recipe like this. I may swap out all or partial of the sausage for turkey sausage. I tried to do the swap this week with a sloppy joe, and it got the big thumbs down. Sometimes I feel like the 'pet mom' trying to hide a pill in the dog's food by wrapping it around a treat. :) LOL. But in this case it's trying to sneak it by the husband. Thanks for posting this! Sounds like something I will try this winter.

[asphaltcowgrrl.livejournal.com]

Ground turkey is hit or miss - it can dry out really easily. Turkey Italian Sausage, on the other hand, is wonderful (try the Jennie-O hot Italian if you can find it). Probably because, due to the nature of sausage, it has a touch more natural fat in it than regular ground meat. Next time for your sloppy joes, try ground pork - it's leaner than ground beef (as far as I remember) but maintains more moisture than turkey.

This turned out amazingly well though. I had one glass of the wine and reconfirmed the fact that I'm still not a fan of wine of any kind (unless it's sangria then we'll talk). Oh, and the leftovers the next day were even better. :D