Italian Sausage Bucatini in a Fire Roasted Tomato Sauce

The sauce is made with fire-roasted tomatoes, the "meatballs" are actually cut pieces of a rustic Italian sausage (<--totally obsessed with it!) that I get at the butcher. The sauce simmers for a little while and then I toss cooked bucatini pasta in all of that deliciousness and serve it with fresh basil, Parmesan cheese and garlic toast.

Course Mains & Entrees

Cuisine Italian

Keyword bucatini, fire roasted tomatoes, italian sausage, pasta

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 1 45

Additional Time 5

Total Time 2

Servings servings

Calories 567

Author Laurie McNamara

Equipment

Ingredients

1 medium yellow onion coarsely chopped
2 medium carrots coarsely chopped
2 ribs celery along with any leaves, coarsely chopped
olive oil
1¼ pound quality Italian sausage cut into 1½-inch long pieces
2 large cloves of fresh garlic chopped
1½ teaspoon dried oregano crumbled in the palm of your hand
1½ teaspoon dried basil crumbled in the palm of your hand
1 teaspoon italian seasoning
6 ounces tomato paste
1/4 cup dry red wine
3/4 cup water
1 (28 ounce) can crushed fire-roasted tomatoes
1 (15 ounce) can tomato puree
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1½ teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 pinch red pepper flakes more or less to taste (optional)
1 pound bucatini noodles

FOR SERVING:

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
fresh torn basil leaves

Instructions

Add onions, carrots and celery to the bowl of your food processor fitted with the blade attachment. Pulse until finely chopped.
Drizzle olive oil in a large, 12-inch deep-sided skillet or dutch oven. Heat pan on medium-high. Working in batches of two brown the sausages on all sides before transferring them to a clean bowl. Repeat with remaining sausages.
Reduce heat to medium-low and add garlic to the skillet and cook for 1 minutes. Add in the chopped vegetables and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Add in the oregano, basil and Italian seasoning and cook for 1 minute.
Add in the tomato paste and cook until caramelized, 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the wine, stir until absorbed into the tomato mixture, then stir in water.
Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato puree and sugar. Stir and bring to a hard simmer for 10 minutes before adding in the browned sausages. Cook for 10 more minutes before covering, reducing the temperature to low and simmering for 1 hour.
Taste and season with red pepper flakes and more salt and pepper if desired.
Meanwhile prepare pasta accordingly to package directions. Toss pasta in the sauce and serve with grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Toss pasta in the sauce and serve in bowls with Parmesan and torn fresh basil.

Nutrition