Sausage and Roasted Red Pepper Rigatoni

Tonight's meal was such a success that I decided to do something that I haven't done and have been needing to do in/for a long time! Post a recipe the night I made it! (heck, post a recipe at all!)

So have you ever seen the commercials for the Bertolli bagged meals? Basically they make you think that Bertolli has captured the perfect way to make an Italian meal and that even attempting to make it from scratch would be hopeless... Way to go Bertolli! (don't get me wrong, I actually have enjoyed a couple of the Bertolli meals on the go or when I didn't have enough food on hand to come up with some kind of dinner, but seriously, cooking pasta and making sauce and stirring it all together isn't exactly a science...) Well my husband and I saw this bagged pasta dinner that had sausage and rigatoni and all sorts of yummy goodness in it... and I won't lie, we bought it and thought it was VERY delicious... but when I had a chance to go to the grocery store, I decided to make myself a little challenge against the big B... I bought a red pepper, a jar of pasta sauce (I would have made it from scratch, but time has been of the essence lately and my homemade sauce takes me all day!), a pound of smoked sausage, and a box of rigatoni... I already had garlic, basil (growing outside!), and parmesan at home, so this was all I needed... I want to say it was under $5 total, and the bagged meals cost about $6...



Before I got started I prepped my pepper (deseeding it and slicing it in half) and lined a cookie sheet with foil. Then I turned my broiler on high and plopped the pepper on the cookie sheet and into the oven for about 20 minutes. (in hindsight, my oven rack was kind of low... if it had been higher it would have taken less time).

Once the peppers are super black, toss them into a plastic baggie and let sit for a while so that the steam will loosen the skin off of the pepper. This whole process can be done in advanced... look here for some other amazing roasted red pepper ideas from the fabulous Emily at Joyful Abode! She also gives an amazing step by step instruction on how to roast red peppers... and also how to seed them! She pretty much rocks!

Ok so start a pot of salted water boiling... Once at a rolling boil, add the rigatoni and set your timer to 11 minutes. Meanwhile, heat some EVOO over medium high heat in a large skillet... Chop up your sausage into 1/2 inch thick (or smaller) slices, then toss into the skillet... Once the sausage is close to being browned, add some minced garlic and give it all a good stir... Continue to brown.



Slice the roasted red pepper into thin slices, then toss into the pan with the sausage. Add the jar of sauce and stir...

Drain the rigatoni and add to the sauce and sausage mixture... Stir well and let bubble for a minute.

I topped ours with fresh grated parmesan cheese and basil leaves from our garden, and served with Pillsbury Savorings (the spinach and cream cheese kind are our favorite!). We would have had a fresh salad too, but we were anxious to dig in and didn't want to waste time making a salad! :)


This is a serious two thumbs up!!!!

Some ways to tailor it to your family:

Leave out the red pepper
Add olives
Add sun dried tomatoes
Add mushroom
Add crumbled hot italian sausage
Use spicy sausage instead of smoked
Add ground beef in the sauce/use meat sauce

I am sure there are tons more variations, but this was fabulous just the way we had it! Oh and Landon approved: see for yourself!!!

Pasta with Butternut Squash Wine Sauce

If you have read my blog at all, you have probably noticed something very important about me:

I LOVE leeks. And I love finding random dishes to include leeks in.. Oh and I love wine... and vegetables...

Ok so basically, since Donovan is gone, I can eat whatever the heck I want that he wouldn't normally be game for, and if it is a bust I don't have to worry about him thinking his wife has "lost her touch"...

But guess what? Leeks + butternut squash + wine + pasta = AMAZING!

So here is what you do...

At least 2 hours before you want to serve dinner, preheat your oven to 350 degrees and scrub down a butternut squash. Then slice it in half long ways and place in a baking dish cut side down and fill the dish with about a half inch of water. Bake for about an hour or until super tender. Let cool and when cool enough to handle scoop out the goop and seeds, and then scoop the flesh out of the shells into a bowl and set aside for later. Below is a picture of what the squash looks like when it is nice and tender.... See that spoon on the left? It didn't take any effort to slide into the squash.. If your squash is still a little crisp or tough (don't know how else to describe it), pop it back in the oven for 15-20 minutes.



Now prep your veggies... I chopped a yellow onion very finely, and halved two leeks and then cut into thin half moon ribbons.

Next melt 1/4 c butter in a large skillet and add the leeks and onion. If you want to add some minced garlic, add it when your leeks and onions are getting tender and translucent to avoid burning.



When your veggies are tender and translucent add a splash or two of wine. Okay then add a couple more splashes... Don't be stingy... I think I used about 1/2 c wine or something...

Okay so let the wine mix in with the veggies and butter. Add the reserved butternut squash and mix into the leek and wine mixture.



Add a couple splashes of heavy cream (about 1/4 c or so) and stir until super creamy. I added a couple good dashes of sage and some fresh ground pepper and sea salt. Cook until heated through.



You can mix this sauce in with some cooked angel hair, fettucine, penne, or any pasta that you like, then top with cheese and bake for 15-20 minutes, or serve on pasta as is.

Landon ate this like it was the only thing he has eaten in days! It was gone in seconds!



I made it just like the above recipe and served it with some pan grilled chicken breast alongside it. I garnished it with a couple fresh basil leaves and some freshly grated parmesan cheese.

This is a very delicious, easy meal for the whole family, and can easily be changed to suit anyone's taste buds...

A couple ideas:

Throw a handful or two of fresh spinach in with the leeks and onions
Roast a bunch of grape tomatoes in the oven while baking your squash: only roast them until they "pop", checking often so they don't burn, and shaking the pan occasionally to ensure evening roasting and that they don't burn and stick to the pan.It should take about 10-15 minutes, but still check often. Then add these to your sauce in the last step for an extra Italian flair...
Chop a roma tomato up and sprinkle on top
Crumble a few crisp pieces of bacon on top
Use the sauce, some ricotta cheese, and some chopped cooked chicken as a filling for manicotti, shells, or lasagna
Top with sun dried tomatoes and kalamata olives for a Mediterranean feel

Get creative! If you think of any great ideas, add them in a comment!!