Quick and Easy Spaghetti

Yesterday, I sent a recipe for fish tacos that I found on myrecipes.com via email to Rick.  Mahi was on sale at Publix, and I thought that they sounded pretty good.  Rick, of course, was not as enthusiastic about them I was which sent me back to culinary drawing board for something to do for dinner.  Luckily, the new issue of Cooking Light was waiting in the mail box.  On the cover was a quite yummy looking pasta dish with sausage.  After a call to Rick, we decided that we would give it a try. 

The recipe was really, really easy and quick.  It was definitely a perfect dish to make on a week night when you are short on time (and in my case last night I didn't want to miss any of the Tar Heels' game in the NIT).  I had never broiled sausage before, and it was definitely a quick and easy way to do it...seems to be a recurrent motif with this meal...quick and easy!  I didn't make a lot of changes to ithe original recipe.  I did (as usual) increase the amount of garlic, and the canned tomatoes that I used were peeled.

Here's what we did.


Spaghetti with Sausage and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients
8 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage links

8 ounces uncooked spaghetti
1 (28-ounce) can peeled whole tomatoes, undrained
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup torn fresh basil
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Directions
Preheat broiler.

Cook pasta according to package directions and then drain.


While pasta is cooking, 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.

Place tomatoes in a food processor; process until almost smooth. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add crushed red pepper and minced garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes, sugar, and salt; cook 4 minutes or until slightly thick. Add sausage and cooked pasta to pan; toss well. Top with fresh basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

Enjoy!