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!!!

Mmmmmmm Hummus!

So I am sure somewhere along the road you have tasted homemade, or store bought, hummus... You probably loved it, because, let's face it: hummus is unbelievably delicious!!! If you didn't love it, don't count it out quite yet. Try making it yourself and using one of my "techniques" to spice it up to your liking... If you try this and still don't like it, then I guess I have failed you... But I am very optimistic!

Ok so basic hummus is pretty simple. I simplify mine even further because I don't use tahini (sesame) paste in mine. You can feel free to toss some tahini in yours: it makes it even creamier and gives it a subtle roasted flavor. I leave it out of mine because my one year old is a huge hummus lover, and sesame seeds are one of "those foods" recommended by the experts to delay introducing to children.. So all of the following recipes do not contain tahini, but easily can (add a few tablespoons or whatever you are comfortable with, remember to taste while adding so you don't add too much!)

1 15 oz can garbanzo beans
2-3 T lemon juice
1 clove garlic
dash of cumin
olive oil

If you are like me and you are lucky enough to have a magic bullet, then this will be super easy for you. If you have a food processor, then that will get the job done too. I am sure you can toss all this in your blender and make it work, but I haven't tried it that way. In fact, today I started out in my food processor and finished in my magic bullet (I love that thing!).

Start by adding your garbanzo beans, lemon juice, garlic and cumin to your food processor (or bullet). While processing, start pouring olive oil into the processor bowl little by little. When it starts to look creamy you are done. Make sure that you don't have any large chunks and that it is super smooth and creamy. Spoon in to a bowl, drizzle some olive oil on top, and serve with warm homemade pita bread, spread on toast, eat with pita chips, or even Carrot or Sweet Potato Chips.

Now some ways to spice up your hummus...

Avocado Hummus
Basic Hummus recipe but add a ripe avocado toward the end of processing and blend until smooth. This is delicious spread on toast or used on sandwiches. It is also extremely heart healthy and contains a burst of nutrients that you can read about here.

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus
Add a roasted red pepper to your hummus along with the garbanzos. If you want to try a specific recipe, here is one that contains tahini.

Black Bean Hummus
Add a drained can of black beans along with the garbanzos to the basic hummus recipe. Also add a pinch or two of curry powder for a good kick! If it is too thick because of the beans, try stirring in two tablespoons plain yogurt, or more olive oil.

Sunshine Hummus
Basic hummus recipe with shredded carrots processed in at the beginning. This will have a very different texture from regular hummus because of the carrots, so keep that in mind.

Hummus Melts
Spread some hummus on a whole grain tortilla or flat bread (or homemade pita bread), arrange a layer of sliced granny smith apples on top, then top with grated sharp cheddar cheese and broil for 2-4 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Hummus Dip a La Kristie
Spread some hummus into a bowl and top with diced cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, cheese, and swirl some extra herb infused evoo on top. Serve with pita chips and watch as this completely disappears! Thanks Kristie for the idea!